Cedo Nulli
by NathalyAnne
Summary: Elmira Avery is the youngest daughter of her pureblood obsessed family. With both her brother and father leaning toward the darkness, is she strong enough to follow her mother's example and fight for what she knows is right even if that's exactly what her family hates? It may all be possible, especially with a little help from her friends.
1. Family Ties

**June 1967**

Summer was freedom.

No more stuffy clothes. No more cold. No more being locked in the house with her brother. No more listening to her father's stories that always scared her mum, though she seemed to be the only one to notice that...

None of that mattered anymore. Summer made it all better.

This was her favorite time of year because it was the only time that she could easily sneak away. If there was ever an opportunity, she was sneaking out. Just like now.

The little dark-haired girl sat on the floor, struggling to put on her boots. She tugged them on with small grunts and smiled toothily when she managed to put them on the right feet on the first try. Feeling quite proud of herself, she jumped up with all the grace of a seven-year-old and ran into the hall.

Though her house, or mansion rather, was ancient and consisted primarily of squeaky floorboards, Elmira moved soundlessly through the house. She jumped from one side of the hall to the other, knowing exactly where the weak spots were. Large, moving paintings of intimidating, severe-looking people stared down at her, shaking their heads and murmuring in disapproval. Elmira remembered being afraid of them once upon a time, but now she grinned at them as she passed, her dimples flashing.

The small girl only slowed her excited pace when she approached the foyer. Cautiously, she peered into the room through the wooden double doors. Her father sometimes spent his afternoons in there and she knew how he felt about her little trips outside. She had to avoid him at all costs.

Now though, the setee and arm chairs sat empty. The only sound coming from inside was the hush of the wind as it blew in through the open glass door, the curtains billowing, waving her forward. Elmira grinned happily at the sight, her green eyes sparkling, and she wasted no time in running to the door.

It was a curious thing. Every time she took off on one of her escapades, she always found the door open and waiting for her. She remembered her mother telling her that strange things might start happening to her. Maybe a book falling off a shelf or sparks shooting from her fingertips, any sign of magic, but it seemed like she had a particular proclivity for opening doors…

No doubt that was a strange skill, but Elmira didn't care in the least. If it could get her out of her house, she loved it.

It was hard to hold in her excitement as she ran outside. The Avery family had a very large and very beautiful garden that stretched as far as she could see. Granted that wasn't very far since she was a very small little girl, but she knew that her garden was special. Flowers of every sort peeked out from the green hills while wild cherry trees hugged the pathways, littering the stones with their white blossoms and serving as excellent shields to hide her from her father's eyes.

When she was far enough from the house to know that no one could hear her, Elmira let out a string of giggles. The sun felt marvelous on her skin, warming her like a hug, and she couldn't help the small skip in her step.

Out of all the lovely places in the garden, Elmira loved the fountain the most. It sat in the exact middle of the property, surrounded entirely by juniper bushes and tall aspen trees. The only way to it was through a small opening between the trees and, once inside, there was a world all its own. No one could see in or out, creating a deliciously isolated atmosphere as the sunlight beamed down through the leaves overhead. Though it was a large space, the fountain took up most of the area. It was large and filled with water so clear it couldn't exist other than through magic; not even one stray leaf could be found floating there. A wide basin sat in the middle of the fountain, constantly trickling water down into the pool underneath and creating small, tranquil ripples on the water.

Though the place was beautiful, Elmira didn't care much for aesthetics. No, that wasn't why she loved her fountain.

After pulling her dress off a branch it had caught on, she shoved her way through the entrance and hurried behind the fountain. It was almost unnoticeable, but one particular juniper bush stuck out further from the others. Elmira plopped herself down on her knees in front of it and leaned forward, grinning wildly.

"You can come out now." She coaxed, "It's just me."

Her green eyes darted excitedly from side to side as she watched the bush. She had to wait a few moments, but slowly the leaves began to move and a small, leafy creature peeped its head out from its hiding place. It blended into the bush so well that Elmira didn't notice it at first, but once she did she eagerly lifted her palm toward it.

"Hi, Trucks!" She exclaimed, leaning forward to see better, "Did you miss me?"

The little bowtruckle nodded its head and happily jumped into Elmira's hand. Her fingers carefully cupped her friend in her palm and brought him close to her face, her eyes almost crossing as she peered at him.

"I'm so happy to see you, Trucks! You don't know how long I've wanted to come visit you. I'm sorry it took me so long, but mummy and daddy don't know about you and they don't really like me to be out here. Daddy says its unbe-unbecumin of a young lady, but I managed to sneak out just for you!"

Despite Elmira's rush of words, the bowtruckle nodded along with her as she spoke.

The girl's smile grew wider and she carefully kissed him on top of his head. He made a small chirping sound as she did which only made her laugh.

"I hope you've been okay out here all by yourself." Elmira said, falling backwards to lean against the fountain, "I know it's been cold for a long time."

The bowtruckle nodded again before erupting into a string of high pitch chatter. Though Elmira had no idea what he was saying, she nodded along dutifully like she had seen her mother do countless times.

"Well I'm glad you're okay." She said once he had finished, offering him a bright smile.

"I've been pretty lonely without you, Trucks. Daddy keeps bringing his friends over. Bash thinks they're cool, but I think they're scary…"

Elmira drifted off, a far away look in her eyes. She remembered when she used to like being around her big brother. Where ever she was, he was there too, holding her hand and talking to her and always the first one to come running if she fell. He was so confident and she thought he knew everything. Now though, he didn't seem to have time for her anymore and even if he did, he too often scared her. He was becoming more and more like her father every day. She missed him.

The bowtruckle in her hand noticed the sad look on his friend's face and he leaned on her thumb. His leafy arms wrapped around it in a comforting hug, rubbing his head against her skin gently. Elmira shook her head at the feeling, clearing it, and smiled at the small creature.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Trucks." She said softly, "You're my very best friend in the whole world."

"Who are you talking to?"

Elmira jumped at the voice.

She scrambled to hide Trucks, shoving her hands behind her and clapping them together so he was safely out of sight.

"No one!"

She jumped up so her back was to the juniper bush. It was difficult to plaster a nonchalant look on her face since her heart was beating so hard, but she managed it surprisingly well.

"Don't lie to me, Mira." Her brother said, rolling his eyes obnoxiously. Though they had both inherited their mother's kind, green eyes, hers were honest where Bastian's were deceiving. His kindness was superficial and never seemed to last very long.

"I'm not stupid. I know you don't talk to yourself."

The way he looked at her made her blush in embarrassment. Other than his blonde hair, Bastian looked just like their father. Tall and hulking and always looking down at her over his nose. Whenever he looked at her, his eyes stared unblinkingly, making her feel small, as if he could immediately see all her faults and failures.

"I-I talk to myself now." Elmira stammered, looking at the ground, "I can start, you know."

Bastian didn't say anything, but he came to stand right in front of her. She slowly lifted her head to see him still looking at her with that piercing gaze.

"Hand it over." He said, holding his hand out in an irritated manner.

Elmira clasped her hands tighter together behind her and stepped back from him.

"Why should I?" She exclaimed hotly, "You're not the boss of me!"

"I'm older than you, Elmira. You have to do what I say."

"You're only one year older! And don't call me that. You're not dad."

The siblings stared at each other in angry silence, neither moving but both of them glaring openly.

"Fine." Bastian lowered his hand and smiled at her in a way that made her nervous, "If you're not going to give it to me, I'll just take it then."

"No!"

He launched himself at her, grabbing her arm forcefully. Her hands were ripped away from each other and she immediately closed the fist that held Trucks, which luckily wasn't the one her brother had a hold of.

Bastian clawed at her hand, trying to open it, and Elmira tried desperately to stretch her other arm out to reach the juniper bush. If she could get Trucks back there, then everything would be fine.

Though she tried to keep her hand closed, Bastian was stronger than her. It didn't take him long to force her fingers apart. He growled lowly when he saw that it was empty and whipped his head up to see her reaching toward the juniper bush. Quicker than she could think, he grabbed her other arm.

"No, Bash! Please!" She yelled, frightened, as he got closer to Trucks.

"If you had just given it to me, this wouldn't have happened!"

"But you'll kill him! I know you will!"

Tears pooled in her eyes as she tried desperately to yank her arm out of her brother's hands. Her words didn't seem to have any effect on him. He continued to claw at her, his nails piercing her tender skin.

"I won't let you hurt him!"

With strength she didn't know she possessed, she shoved her brother squarely in the chest. He stumbled backwards clumsily and released her arm.

Elmira sprang into action the second she was free and quickly ran to the juniper bush. She opened her hand to reveal a slightly crumpled and shaking Trunks.

"Go!" She yelled, shoving her hand into the bush, "You need to hide!"

She felt her friend jump out of her hand at the same moment she felt her brother's hands slam onto her shoulders. He pulled her backward roughly, but she spun around and pushed him back.

"No!" She screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, "He's gone now! Leave him alone!"

Bastian glared at her, his blonde hair ruffled from their tussle, and made a move toward the bush but Elmira moved into his path instinctively, blocking his way. The furious look he gave her almost made her cower in fear, but she stood tall, balling her hands into tight fists.

"Oh, you're going to fight me now are you, Mira?" Bastian said hotly, giving her an incredulous look.

"Mmhm." She nodded her head weakly, the tears still pouring from her eyes.

He glared at her for a few more moments, the pair frozen in a tense stand-off, before he gave a frustrated sigh. Some of the tension eased from his body as he ran a hand through his hair, but the angry look in his eyes was still there.

"Stop crying, will you?" He demanded.

She sniffled, watching him closely in case he tried to get to Trunks again.

"Really. You're making yourself look a mess."

In a slightly agitated manner, he fished a rag from his pocket and thrust his arm out toward her.

She eyed him cautiously, "You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

He rolled his eyes and shoved the offered rag further toward her.

"No." He said, "I'm just tired of looking at your snotty face."

Elmira frowned but slowly took the rag from him. Still watching him, she blew her nose. The loud blast would've made her giggle if she had been anywhere else, but she remained stoic and wiped at her cheeks until they were dry.

"Good." Bastian took the rag from her hands as soon as she finished, "Father wants us to come inside. We're supposed to meet some people."

Elmira sniffled, wiping at her face with her arm, "Are they scary people again?"

"No, Mira. They're not scary." He sighed, rolling his eyes, "They're never scary."

"Maybe not to you."

"You just need to grow up a little. You'll be fine then."

He started walking toward the open space in the trees and Elmira hurried to catch up with him.

"Mummy's afraid of them too, I think, and she's a grown up."

"She's not afraid." Bastian frowned as he pushed himself through the trees, "Did she say she was?"

Elmira shook her head and followed him through, "No. But her eyes always look different when daddy's friends come over. They're not happy anymore."

He laughed at that, "That's not because she's scared, Mira. She just knows what's expected of her. We have to act a certain way around certain people, that's all."

Elmira frowned as they walked through the gardens. She knew she should believe her brother, he would never lie to her, but she just knew there was more to it than that.

As each step brought her closer to her house, she felt more and more nervous. Soon, her brother's broad back was a significant distance away from her as she slowed down, almost stopping on the path.

"You wouldn't let me go see bad people, would you, Bash?" She asked, her little forehead creased in worry.

Bastian chuckled as he turned toward his sister. Looking at her then, she looked very small. Her dark hair was frizzy and messy, her boots covered in mud, and her green eyes looked at him with so much trust it made him nervous. In two strides, he came to stand beside her and took her hand into his.

"No, Mira. I wouldn't let bad people anywhere near you." He said, giving her hand a squeeze and leading her down the path, "Father says that these people are good, so they must be. And even if they weren't, you'd have him and me to protect you. There's nothing to worry about."

Elmira gave him the most brilliant smile he had ever seen.

It had been awhile since Bastian had talked to her so kindly and, in that moment, she wasn't worried at all about anything. All the fears she had earlier about losing her brother disappeared.

"Thanks, Bash." She said, swinging their arms, "You're the best big brother in the whole world."

The older boy chuckled lightly as he watched her, "I know."

The warm feeling Elmira had was short lived.

As soon as she and Bastian walked into the foyer of their house, they were greeted by the cold presence of their father.

"I thought I told you to be quick." The intimidating man said, his voice sounding flat.

Bastian looked at the ground and mumbled an apology. Elmira held onto his hand firmer, trying to comfort him.

"Elmira. What have you done to your clothes?"

She froze as her father turned his attention to her. His dark eyes stared into her, his chiseled features looking more severe than normal. When she didn't answer right away, he straightened up to stand even taller than he already was. It seemed like his hulking form blocked out the light.

"This is unacceptable, young lady." He said, "Go find your mother so she can find you something appropriate to wear."

Elmira nodded her head once before hurrying out of the room. She wanted to run but she knew better than to do that.

As she passed the dining hall, she heard the murmur of voices and, thinking her mother might be inside, peaked her head in. She soon found that that was a mistake.

Dozens of men sat around the Avery's expansive dining table. Most wore black robes and gave off a dangerous air that immediately made Elmira nervous. She looked around the room and noticed that the men were listening attentively to a man who sat at the head of the table. As soon as Elmira's eyes landed on him, the hairs on her arms stood on end and her breath caught in her throat.

She knew her brother said these people weren't scary, but he was wrong about this man. Very, very wrong. Whoever he was, he was pale, almost ghostly pale, and his eyes were a sinister shade of crimson. He had no hair on his head, almost like a snake, and every word he spoke was drawn out, deliberate.

Elmira had never been more afraid in her life.

She was about to run as far away as she could when the snake man's eyes fell on her. All thoughts except fear left her and she froze under his red gaze. His lips curled up as he stared at her, not blinking.

"My dear, Elmira Avery." He said, his voice cold and hissing, "Come in. Come in."

Something about his words told her he wasn't asking.

Her legs moved forward on their own, her heart pounding in her throat as she wrung her hands in front of her. Right as she stepped through the threshold, she felt a small pang on the right side of her head. She knew she shouldn't stop walking, but she looked to the right and there, against the wall, was her mother.

Larissa Avery stood very still, her back rim-rod straight and her beautiful face frozen in cool indifference. She looked picture perfect, not one blonde hair out of place as she held her head high, looking forward. On the surface, she looked almost cruel, uncaring, but Elmira saw how her green eyes followed her as she walked, fear hiding behind her mask.

Elmira tried to keep eye contact with her mother as long as she could but she eventually came to stand in front of the snake man. The air around him felt cold and empty. The last thing she wanted was to look at him, but her parents had taught her her manners and she knew she had to.

Timidly, she raised her eyes to meet his. Eyes like blood stared back at her.

"It seems that you were not prepared to meet me." He said, slight mocking in his tone though his gaze remained intense.

The men in the room snickered.

"That is no trouble though," he continued, "you are young. There is still time to learn and learn you shall. I trust your parents are teaching you well?"

Elmira swallowed the lump in her throat, "Yes, sir."

"Mmm, very good. Tell me child, what do you plan to do when you're older?"

Elmira froze for a moment, unsure why a man so scary was asking her about her life. It seemed very strange and she didn't know what to do. She felt her body growing hotter by the second.

"Come, come," the snake man said, growing impatient, "What is it that you want to do?"

"I-I don't know sir." She stuttered as a line of sweat appeared on her forehead. She tried to think of what her brother would say...

"I'm sure my parents will help me with that when I'm old enough."

That seemed to satisfy the man because he hummed in appreciation.

"That is very true, Elmira." He said, "I trust your parents to guide you in the correct path as I am confident they will."

She nodded tersely and her vision blackened with the movement. Her hands felt clammy. For a second, she was worried that she would fall over but a warm hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her backward.

"My lord," Larissa Avery's cool voice sounded from behind Elmira, "I believe that my daughter is unwell. She was ill this morning and we thought it had passed, though it seems we were wrong."

Elmira frowned through the haze in her brain. She didn't remember being sick today…

"Yes. It seems that she is quite weak." The snake man's hissing voice echoed and she felt a freezing hand grip her face, squeezing both of her cheeks almost painfully.

"I sense a fever." He said, releasing her face, "You may leave to take care of her, Larissa. I am quite satisfied with her at the moment. You and Thanatos have done well. I look forward to meeting young Bastian later."

"Thank you, my lord. It pleases me to hear that."

Elmira felt her mother guiding her out of the room all of a sudden, though it was a blur to her. She was vaguely aware of the large doors closing behind them when she was whisked off her feet. It startled her for a moment, but the familiar smell of vanilla and almonds soothed her as she realized she was in her mother's arms.

"You're alright, darling." She whispered, as she frantically ran her hand over her daughter's hair, "You're alright. I've got you."

Elmira let out a small whimper and gripped her mother's dress in her fists. She didn't let go even as she was laid in her bed. The warmth of the blankets didn't match the warmth of her mother.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you can let go. I'll stay right here with you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Slowly, the little girl loosened her hold on her mother. Blankets were pulled over her in the few seconds that her mother was absent, before she was pulled into another embrace. The two lay there, holding onto each other in the darkness of Elmira's room and all was quiet. Elmira almost forgot that there were other people in her house, but every so often there was soft chatter from downstairs. She tried to listen to her mother's breathing instead. In and out. In and out.

Suddenly, her mother started muttering something and the haze in Elmira's head cleared. The heat that was flaring through her body slowly disappeared. All the pain subsided and she felt just like she had when she woke up that morning. Well, almost like she had. The only difference now was the fear.

"Who was that man, mummy?" Her voice came out so quietly she was worried that her mother hadn't heard. She was about to ask again, when her mother's arms tightened around her.

"Don't worry about him right now, Mira."

There was a finality to her voice that made Elmira not want to ask any more questions, but a horrible thought suddenly popped into her head.

"Is he a bad man?" She asked, her voice shaking.

Her mother took a shuddering breath before she sat up, holding Elmira by the shoulders. Their identical eyes stared into each other and Elmira was startled to see her mother look so… unhinged. Usually Larissa Avery was the picture of perfection. Always poised and coolly collected. Right now, though, she was vulnerable. Her brow furrowed as she gazed at her daughter, clear distress on her face.

Elmira's eyes filled with tears at the sight.

"Listen to me, Elmira." Her mother said, shaking her lightly, "I grew up just like you in a family just like ours. Everything was planned out for me, how I would act, who I would see, who I would marry, who I would be, and I never questioned it. Not once. But you're different, so different, and I couldn't be prouder. You're everything I wish I could be. You question everything and you know what's right without anyone having to tell you."

She lifted a slender hand to wipe away her daughter's tears.

"One day, you'll find out about all of _this_ ," she continued, waving her hand weakly in the air, "a-and you might hate me, you might hate all of us, but I promise that I will do everything in my power to protect you. You're going to grow up strong and brave and you'll fight for what's _right_. I'm sure of it. So, don't worry about anything, alright? I've got you and I'm not letting go."

Elmira nodded, tears in her eyes, but she trusted her mother more than anything. She wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face in her shoulder. Her mother's arms covered her as she lay back on the bed, running a soothing hand through Elmira's hair.

They laid there, holding each other, the sound of the men's voices occasionally echoing through the room. Even still, Elmira wasn't afraid. Her mother and the darkness wrapped around her like a blanket and she felt like no one, not her father, not even the snake-man, would ever be able to find her. Slowly and peacefully, her eyes fluttered closed.

As she drifted off to sleep, she heard her mother whisper very softly, her voice strong and sure, "One day, you'll give them all hell."


	2. September 1st

**September 1, 1971**

Elmira rushed through Kings Cross Station as fast as she could. Her cart was filled to the brim with school supplies and it bumped up and down with each crack on the pavement. Though she could barely see over the enormous pile, she refused to do anything other than run. Her head swiveled as she rushed by people and carts and trains, trying to take everything in. She had never seen so many muggles in her whole life and they were just so… wonderful! So many colors and not a single robe to be found.

She could barely hold in her excitement as she hurried across the platforms. She had waited so long to go to Hogwarts and now that it was finally happening, it felt almost like a dream. Better than a dream. There were so many things she was going to do! She was definitely looking forward to learning some proper magic, but the idea of being away from her father for three whole months made her practically giddy.

"Slow _down_ , Mira."

Her mother's stern voice made her stop abruptly. Everything on her cart jostled and clattered, and she turned to give her mother an apologetic grin.

Larissa Avery glided toward her daughter, her head held high and her hands neatly folded in front of her. The long, black robe she wore made her stick out amongst the crowd. Each person she passed hurried to get out of her way; it seemed that even muggles could feel her air of authority and class.

Though her mother appeared aloof, Elmira knew her mannerisms well. Almost too well. After so many years of watching her, she knew that her distant attitude was a product of necessity rather than choice.

"Sorry, mum." Elmira mumbled as she waited for her mother to catch up to her.

"We mustn't stray too far from your brother and father." The older woman scolded.

"But they're _so_ slow!"

Larissa's eyes smiled down at her daughter though her face did not.

"Perhaps you're simply too fast."

"That's true! I'm definitely faster than Bash!"

"I'm sure you are, but don't let him hear you say that."

"It'll be our secret?"

Elmira looked at her mother hopefully, excited at the prospect of having something between them that only they knew about.

Larissa's lips twitched up for half a second before she gave a sharp nod.

Her more reserved response had Elmira straightening her posture immediately. She knew what that look meant.

Her father was coming.

"Larissa. Elmira. There you are."

The large man came to stand beside his wife, placing his hand on the small of her back. Bastian wasn't too far behind. His cart came to a halt next to Elmira's and she glanced at him only to see him already looking at her, a sneer on his face. Elmira pressed her lips into a thin line and tried her hardest to make herself invisible.

"You mustn't go off like that," Thanatos continued, his voice harsh, "I don't want you mingling too long around these people."

"We were simply waiting for you, darling." Larissa said flatly as she slowly raked her eyes over the crowds.

"I'm sorry." Elmira muttered, "I didn't mean to go so far..."

She stopped talking when she looked up at her father. Though her words were completely genuine, he didn't seem to care. He didn't seem to have listened at all, actually. Instead, he stared down at her, his black eyes narrowed, dark facial hair making him look more sinister and his usually handsome face twisted in disappointment.

Elmira turned her head toward the ground as her shoulder's slumped. He never seemed to look at her any other way.

"I'm sorry, daddy…"

She felt his gaze on her for a few more moments before he walked briskly down the platform, bringing his wife with him.

"Come." He said, "Before we miss the train."

Elmira took a shuddering breath in before she heaved her cart forward, having to push extremely hard to get it going.

"Why can't you just be good for once?"

The eleven-year-old shot her brother a withering glance out of the corner of her eye. His harsh words were reflected in his face and she immediately looked away, blushing in embarrassment.

"I don't know why he doesn't like me..." Elmira mumbled, her hands gripping the cart in white knuckled fists.

"You never do what you're supposed to. If you just behaved, there wouldn't be any problems. Maybe if you fixed _that_ , then he'd like you."

Bastian gave her another haughty look before sticking his nose in the air and following their parents.

Elmira stood there for a moment more, her hands shaking and a familiar sting in her eyes. She blinked rapidly to make it go away. With a deep breath in, she followed after her family. They were already a significant distance from her on the platform; she could just barely make out her father's dark head and her mother's black robe. Though she knew she would probably be scolded again for falling too far behind, she didn't really care. She took her time.

When she finally did catch up with her family, it was just in time to see Bastian's foot disappearing into the pillar between platforms nine and ten. Her father was quick to follow after him. Elmira felt a small pang in her chest at the sight. It was her first time going to Hogwarts and he hadn't even waited for her.

Seeing the disappointed look on her daughter's face, Larissa swiftly came up behind her. Without saying a word, she took Elmira's hand into her own and gave it a tight squeeze. The small girl instantly felt better. They shared a smile before running through the barrier together.

Going through the magical doorway made Elmira's head feel tingly, but all the sad feelings she had slipped away. Right in front of her sat the glossy, red Hogwarts Express. Her brother had told her all about it and sitting on it had become one of her biggest dreams.

"Mum…" She whispered, almost in awe as she looked at it.

"Yes, I know, darling. It's quite spectacular."

Elmira wondered why her mother had suddenly become so monotone, but she quickly noticed the Lestrange family standing a few feet away. She had met them all at various parties over the years and knew enough about them to be afraid. Their hooded eyes and judging stares were enough to make her run in the other direction.

It was soon obvious that Rabastan Lestrange was staring at her. Repulsed, she quickly looked away. Though he was her age, he was just like her brother and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Larissa nodded politely to the Lestranges before crisply walking toward the other end of the platform. Elmira followed closely behind, all too eager to get away from the frightening family she was all too familiar with.

It wasn't long before they found Thanatos and Bastian. The older man was giving his son a strong clap on the shoulder, whispering something Elmira couldn't hear, but whatever it was it made Bastian smile proudly.

"It's almost time for the train to leave." Larissa said as she came to stand by her husband's side. Thanatos looked irritated at the interruption, but a look of indifference quickly hid it.

"Yes." He said, still looking at his son, "You know what to do, Bastian. You've made us very proud thus far and I expect nothing less from you this year."

"Of course, father. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

Thanatos gave Bastian's shoulder a tight squeeze before releasing him. The boy nodded politely to his father before approaching Larissa to say his good-byes. The two moved to the side a little, leaving Elmira with her father.

"I expect you to adhere to the rules we have put in place for you, Elmira." He said, placing his hands in his pockets and looking down at her over his nose, "Must I go over those rules for you or do you think you can manage on your own?"

Elmira was so taken aback by his blatant rudeness that she began stammering, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to figure out what to say to please him.

"Of course." Thanatos huffed, clearly irritated, "I should have expected this from you."

Elmira shrunk under his gaze.

"You will do nothing to draw attention to yourself. Grades are to be Os or Es as anything else would be a disgrace and completely unacceptable for someone of our stature. I will receive no letters from this school unless they're praising your intelligence or behavior, though that is highly unlikely in both cases. The friends you make will be of the highest caliber. Mudbloods are beneath you and you are not to fraternize with them in any way unless it is absolutely necessary."

Elmira's fists tightened and she bit down on her tongue. No matter how many times she heard these words, they always managed to fill her with white hot anger. The way he spoke to her was embarrassing and she wanted nothing more than to do the exact opposite of what he told her to do.

"If somehow these guidelines prove to be too difficult for you," her father continued, "I have instructed Bastian to keep an eye on you. He will be in your house, after all."

Her eyes flicked toward her brother. The green and silver on his robes made her stomach hurt.

"Am I asking too much of you, Elmira?" Thanatos asked, his voice low and threatening. He was clearly expecting one answer.

"No, father."

"Good. I'll see you at Christmas time."

With a swish of his robes, her father walked away and didn't look back.

Elmira immediately felt empty. She watched as he approached her mother and brother. It wasn't the first time she had felt this pang of loneliness but it hurt nonetheless. Her family stood talking together without her.

Soon, Bastian boarded the train and Thanatos walked to the other end of the platform, presumably to talk with Mr. Lestrange, leaving Larissa and Elmira alone. The blonde woman wasted no time in crossing the distance to her daughter.

"You're going to have a great year, sweetheart." She said, her voice purposefully quiet as she enveloped the small girl in her arms.

Elmira nodded into her mother's robes.

"Do you remember what we talked about?"

Elmira almost missed the words over the loud chatter of platform 9¾ , Larissa had spoken so quietly, but she did hear and she nodded quickly.

"Anything but Slytherin." She said, careful not to speak loud enough to be overheard.

"Yes." Larissa pulled back and held her daughter's face in her hands. Worried green eyes met reassuring ones.

"You're too good for this family, Mira. Don't let your father make you think anything less. I'm proud of you always."

With tears clouding her vision, Elmira nodded and held tightly to her mother. The two shared a warm and slightly desperate embrace before Larissa pulled away. Her cold mask returned to her face as she straightened Elmira's robes.

"This year, you will become who you are supposed to be." She stated, "Chose carefully and try not to cause too much trouble. You know your father won't be pleased with you if we hear even the hint of misbehavior."

Elmira fought to suppress a grin at seeing her mother's façade fall in place.

"I'll do my best, mum."

Larissa nodded, her lips twitching upwards.

"Good." She said, folding her hands in front of her, "Now, go and get on the train before it leaves you here."

Elmira nodded, "I love you, mum."

Her mother's eyes softened and she leaned down to place a firm kiss to Elmira's forehead.

"Be who you want to be, Mira. Don't be afraid of anything."

Elmira pulled away from her mother, smiling wider than she had in a long time. Neither of them really wanted to separate but the low whistle of the Hogwarts Express shook the platform and Larissa gave her daughter a small push toward the train. Elmira flashed her mother one last smile before hopping aboard, the click of her mother's heels echoing behind her as she walked away.

It took Elmira a great deal of effort to heave her trunk onto the train, but she did manage it. All on her own, too. Not to mention that it only took her two tries to safely secure her trunk onto a rack by the door. Though she was sweating and finding it somewhat difficult to stifle her panting, she was quite proud of herself.

She stood with her hands on her hips, surveying her handy work, when a series of soft grunts got her attention. A few feet away stood a tall, sandy haired boy. His arms were wrapped around a large trunk not unlike her own and, also not unlike herself, he was struggling to lift his trunk onto the rack.

"Hi." Elmira moved toward the boy without thinking, "I can help with that if you'd like..."

The boy startled at her voice, almost dropping his trunk. His head whipped around and he looked at her with wide, brown eyes. Elmira immediately noticed faint scars on his face, stretching across his cheek and forehead. She momentarily wondered what had happened to him but he buckled under the weight of his trunk and she remembered why she had approached him in the first place.

"I'll take this side!" She hurried toward him and took hold of one of the handles. The boy gave a sigh of relief as some of the weight was taken out of his hands.

"Thank you." He said shyly. Though he sounded genuinely grateful, he didn't look her in the eyes.

"So…" Elmira said when he remained silent, "where do you want to put this?"

A hint of color tinged his cheeks.

"Oh, um… right up there is fine." He nudged his shoulder toward an open spot on the rack above their heads.

"Alright." Elmira said, "You lift it up and I'll push it in."

The boy nodded and quickly hoisted his end of the trunk up and onto the rack. Elmira used all her body weight to shove the trunk in. It hit the wall with a thud and the two children shared a triumphant grin.

"We make a pretty good team." Elmira said, her eyes twinkling happily.

The boy chuckled and his eyes flicked toward her.

"It seems we do." He said timidly, "Thanks for helping me... I probably couldn't have done it without you."

"It's no problem at all. I barely managed it myself."

They stood there for a moment longer, both staring at each other and neither knowing what to say, before the train lurched forward. Elmira stumbled as she tried not to completely fall over, while the boy leaned on the wall to steady himself.

"We should find a place to sit." He said once the train started picking up speed.

Elmira nodded but as he started to walk away, she was suddenly overcome with nervousness.

"I-I don't suppose… would you mind if we sat together?" She called after him, making him stop, "I'm only a first year and I don't know anyone yet. Other than my brother, I mean, but I would rather walk to Hogwarts than sit with him."

The boy laughed. Whether it was at her jibe at her brother or at her rambling she didn't know, but he nodded anyway. Elmira grinned, and when she noticed that his eyes had taken on a happier shine, her grin grew wider.

"I don't know anyone either," the boy said, shoving his hands into his slightly worn out trousers, "I'm a first year too."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Elmira beamed and strode directly up to him, "We can be best friends, then."

He chuckled again, this time louder and less reserved.

"Okay. But we need to make sure we're in the same house then."

"Oh… Well what house do you want to be in?"

"Well, my dad wants me to be a Gryffindor like him, but I've always thought I'd be better suited for Ravenclaw."

"Why's that?" Elmira frowned curiously. She knew what her family thought about the various Hogwarts houses, but she was interested in knowing what other, more normal, people had to say.

"Gryffindors are the house of the brave and chivalrous." The boy said, his tone becoming sad, "I just know that I don't belong there."

Elmira's frown deepened.

"I think you belong wherever you want to go." She insisted, unsure of why she felt the strange need to encourage this boy who was practically a stranger to her, "You can still be brave even if you don't think you are. Bravery is a choice and you can be whatever you choose."

The boy gave her a curious look, "Do you really think so?"

"I know so." Elmira nodded confidently, "My mum told me."

He looked at her hesitantly, seeming to weight her words in his mind, before his lips turned up in a small, hopeful smile. She returned it with even more fervor and headed down the aisle, her new friend following closely behind.

It seemed that every compartment they passed was full. They were slowly coming up on the end of the train and Elmira was becoming worried that she'd have to spend her entire first trip to Hogwarts in the aisle.

"So, what house do you want to be in?" The boy called out from behind her, drawing her out of her musings.

"Anything but Slytherin." She nodded sharply, a determined expression on her face.

"Do your parents not like Slytherin either?"

Elmira heard the boy chuckle but her face darkened.

"No... They were both in Slytherin. My brother too."

"Oh…"

He seemed to know what that meant and didn't ask her any more questions on the matter. The two were quiet as they made their way down the train.

"I'm Remus Lupin, by the way." He said instead, breaking the silence, "I don't think I said that earlier."

Elmira giggled, "No, I don't think we did introduce ourselves."

She came to a halting stop in the middle of the aisle and turned toward him fully, offering him her hand and a dimpled smile. "I'm Elmira Avery. But only my father calls me that, so you can call me Mira."

Remus smiled back at her and wrapped his large hand around hers, shaking it cordially.

"Now, then." Elmira chirped, bouncing over to Remus' side and linking her arm with his, "We're officially best friends."

His body stiffened at her touch but he quickly relaxed, chuckling at her enthusiasm. "Who knew I'd find my best friend before finding a seat on the train." He mused, a hint of laughter in his voice.

"What a crazy world." Elmira smirked up at him before pulling him down the aisle, "Come on. There has to be an open place somewhere!"

After peeking into the last few compartments, disrupting a couple snogging, and getting threatened by a group of older Slytherin boys, they finally found a place to sit. It was the second to last compartment and was mostly empty other than a girl with fiery, dark red hair and a sour looking, black haired boy.

"Excuse me," Elmira knocked on the door as she poked her head into the compartment, "Do you mind if we sit here with you? Everywhere else seems to be full."

"Of course!" The girl said, waving them in, "There's plenty of room."

The boy didn't seem as welcoming as his friend and Elmira hesitated for just a moment before taking a seat across from him, next to the girl. That left Remus to sit beside the boy, who shifted further toward the window when he sat down. Elmira gave her friend an apologetic look when his shoulders slumped just the slightest.

"I'm Lily Evans." The red-haired girl said, clearly oblivious to the tension.

Elmira spared one more glance at Remus before turning to Lily. She was immediately struck by the intensity of the girl's emerald green eyes.

"Elmira Avery," she said once she'd recovered, "but I'd rather you call me Mira."

"Avery? Like Sacred Twenty-Eight Avery?"

The dark-haired boy turned away from the window entirely, seeming to perk up. His black eyes stared at Elmira in interest as he leaned forward, his greasy hair dangling in front of his face.

"Yes. Those Averys." Elmira murmured, "Unfortunately."

The boy didn't seem to have heard that last bit because he was looking at her like he was almost impressed. Elmira gripped the seat tightly in her hands as she tried not to glare at him.

"What's the Scared Twenty-Eight?" Lily asked with a frown.

"They're the twenty-eight wizarding families in Britain considered to be the most pure-blooded." The boy said quickly, seeming to snap out of whatever awed trance he had been in after hearing Elmira's name. "The Averys are one of the most powerful and influential families in the country."

"The whole thing is ridiculous." Elmira commented, growing more and more irritated, "My family isn't anything special."

The dark-haired boy stared at her in surprise while she stared back, finding it increasingly difficult not to glare.

"Well, I'm Remus Lupin. It's very nice to meet you, Lily." Remus leaned forward to shake Lily's hand, effectively ending all discussion about Elmira's family. She gave him a thankful look as he leaned back into his seat.

"And this is Severus." Lily gestured toward the greasy haired boy. He nodded curtly at them but didn't say anything.

"Are you both first years too?" Remus asked.

Lily nodded, "Severus and I have been looking forward to coming to Hogwarts since forever."

"How do you two know each other?" Elmira was curious how such a sweet girl could befriend such a seemingly irritating boy.

"We're from the same place." Lily said, "Cokeworth, by the Bristol Channel… Severus was actually the first one to tell me I had magic."

She spoke with so much fondness for the boy that Elmira found herself looking at him again. He was gazing at Lily, his lips twisted up in the smallest of smiles, and Elmira knew he couldn't be all bad.

"Well, it must be nice to be going to school with one of your friends." She said kindly. Severus looked almost shocked at her words.

"Oh yes." Lily smiled happily, "What about you then? How did you and Remus meet?"

"She saved me from a possible brain injury not even twenty minutes ago." Remus chuckled as he looked at Elmira, a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

"Oh, yes." She grinned, "He owes me his life now. How does indentured servitude feel, eh Remus?"

"Not as awful as I expected it to. Luckily I have a kind master."

The two erupted into giggles with Lily joining in. Severus simply shook his head in irritation, though Elmira could have sworn she saw his mouth turn up for just a moment.

Throughout the rest of the ride, Elmira completely forgot about her family. Later, she would look back in surprise at the fact that she was actually enjoying herself. She and Remus got on splendidly with Lily as they found that they all loved to read, spurring a lengthy discussion about muggle and wizarding novels. Severus was less talkative, preferring to listen in or quickly interrupt to give his somewhat moody opinions, but Elmira didn't mind. He was quite witty and she appreciated his bluntness. Plus, he claimed to be particularly adept at wizard's chess and she now had a game planned with him sometime in the near future. She was very much looking forward to beating him.

It wasn't long until they were nearing Hogwarts. Students ran through the train, eagerly pulling on their robes and chattering about this and that. All the commotion had the four new friends grinning ear to ear. Severus had changed into his school robes the moment he stepped foot on the train, but Elmira, Lily, and Remus were still in their day clothes. With excited grins on their faces, they scrambled to change as fast as they could.

Elmira was just pulling her robe over her shoulder when the train came to a halt. After stumbling, she jumped up and flung the compartment door open.

"Well, what are you slow pokes waiting for?" She grinned before taking off, her new friends following close behind her.


	3. Sorting

_Thank you to those who reviewed, followed, or faved this story! I really appreciate constructive criticism and I'm happy that you're enjoying what I have so far. Happy reading!_

The trip up to Hogwarts castle was one of the most brilliant things Elmira had ever seen. With all of her oo-ing and ah-ing and rocking the boat, she was surprised that neither Remus nor Lily seemed the least bit irritated with her. Severus was another matter, but she hadn't paid much attention to him. The lights of the boats on the water and the enchanted castle rising in the night sky had taken all her focus.

Once they had gotten out of the boats, though, she was suddenly reminded of the eminent house sorting. A strict looking woman named Professor McGonagall had met them on the shore and Elmira didn't have another moment to think before she and the other first years were whisked off into the castle.

The inside of the castle was even more magnificent than the outside, but she just couldn't focus on any of it. Hearing her footsteps on the stone floors suddenly made everything so real. The doors to the Great Hall opened in front of her and she immediately started wringing her hands.

What if she couldn't do what her mother wanted?

What if she was sorted into Slytherin after all?

What if she turned out to be exactly like her father?

Someone gave her a push from behind and she stumbled forward, not realizing she had stopped walking. She turned around to see Lily smiling nervously at her. Elmira tried to smile back but she just couldn't, it came out more as a grimace and she turned around to keep walking. It was then that she actually noticed what was around her.

The other first years were gawking and pointing up, amazed by the thousands and thousands of candles floating above their heads and the ceiling enchanted to reflect the sky outside, shimmering with stars and moonlight. Elmira wanted nothing more than to join her classmates and marvel at everything around her, but she was too fixated on the four long tables that took up the room.

To her right, was a table filled with cheerful students dressed in black school robes and yellow ties. They smiled encouragingly at the first years and talked amicably in hushed tones. Next to them, by the wall, was a more boisterous table. They seemed to like to yell across the room and most of them were laughing loudly. One boy with ginger hair even took off his red tie to playfully throw it at a girl a few seats down from him.

 _Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors._ Elmira thought with a smile. _They don't seem so bad…_

A snicker from the left made Elmira turn.

She blushed when she was met with curious stares from the table nearest her. The students seated there seemed more reserved than the rowdy Gryffindors, though they still smiled just as friendly as the Hufflepuffs. A few of them weren't even paying attention though, their noses stuck in a book or caught up in stimulating looking conversations.

Though Elmira was fascinated by the Ravenclaw table, she looked over them, trying to find the source of the snicker she had heard before. There, at the table behind the Ravenclaws, she met eyes with her brother. A haughty smirk was fixated on his face and he let out another harsh laugh, shoving the boy next to him. They both turned to look at her then, identical sneers curving their lips.

Elmira looked away so fast it made her dizzy.

She fixed her head forward and tried to walk as normally as possible, but she just couldn't stop her eyes from flickering between the four tables. Red, yellow, blue, and green. One of them was for her, but what if it ended up being the wrong one? What if she didn't belong at any of them?

"Remus." Elmira whispered as quietly as she could but it still sounded too loud for her ears. A few older students gave her strange looks as she passed.

"Remus." She tried again, blushing this time and walking faster so she could keep up with the rest of the first years. Again, he didn't hear her.

" _Remus."_ She tugged at his sleeve aggressively.

The tall boy turned his slightly frightened eyes to her. She was worried she had startled him but soon noticed how his eyes shifted over the crowd anxiously. Without hesitating, she slipped her hand into his.

"Are you nervous, too?" He whispered, holding onto her hand tightly.

Elmira nodded.

Remus gave her hand a gentle squeeze as the group of first years around them stopped at the front of the hall. They stood in a huddled group, talking in frightened and excited whispers when an old man with a long white beard approached a four-legged chair which sat in front of them. On top of the chair was an old looking wizard's hat.

"I think I'm going to try and be in Gryffindor." Remus whispered hurriedly.

Elmira looked up at her friend, "Really?"

"I think you're right… About what you said on the train. I can be whoever I want to be and… and I think I'd like to be brave."

Remus suddenly looked very different from the timid boy Elmira had spent her day with. Though there was still the hint of fear in his eyes, it was overshadowed by determination. It was then that Elmira knew she had chosen a good friend.

"I want to be brave too." She said it without thinking, but was surprised to realize that it was true.

"You already are."

Elmira smiled, "Thank you, Re…"

A sudden hush fell over the hall, cutting her off.

Everyone it the hall seemed to be looking at something in front of her. She stood on her tip toes, trying to peer around the much taller children in front of her, to see the old hat twitching. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and, to her surprise, it burst into song. Elmira was so shocked by it, she barely paid attention to anything it said. It was the most curious magic she had ever seen and she wanted desperately to know how it was done.

To Elmira's disappointment, the hat ceased its song before she could figure anything out.

With a swish of her emerald robes, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the hat, a long roll of parchment in her hand.

"When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and put on the hat. It will then sort you into one of the four houses," she said. "Aanstoos, Monica!"

A round faced girl with tresses of blonde hair slowly came out of the crowd of first years. She looked like she might be sick and Elmira smiled encouragingly at her even though she couldn't see. It took her a moment, but she sat down on the stool and placed the hat upon her head.

"RAVENCLAW!" It bellowed without a moment's pause.

Ravenclaw house erupted into cheers and Monica made her way to them, a broad grin on her face.

Elmira's hands grew sweatier as she watched Abbott, Reginald and Aspley, Karen be sorted into Hufflepuff and Slytherin. She tuned out the next few names. Any second now and it would be her turn…

"Avery, Elmira!"

The loud voice of Professor McGonagall startled Elmira. Some of the kids around her turned to look at her, wondering why she hadn't moved yet. She gripped Remus' hand tightly before letting go.

There were whispers from the Slytherin table as Elmira stepped forward. She turned her head to see the silver and green clad students, her brother right in the front. His eyes followed her every move and though he must have seen her nervousness, he did not smile.

With a shaky breath, Elmira tore her eyes away from her brother. She sat down on the chair and yanked the hat over her eyes.

"Hmm…" the voice of the hat sounded in her head, "You're quite easy to read…"

Elmira was about to tell it not to put her in Slytherin, but its next words stopped her.

"You wouldn't do in Slytherin, no. Too much concern for others to be particularly ambitious... Always willing to help even at the expense of yourself, and oh, what immense kindness. You'd do well in Hufflepuff…"

 _Gryffindor. Please, Gryffindor._ Elmira thought urgently, her eyes clamped shut _._

"Yes." The hat said, "There is bravery in you… mmm, yes. That's it."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Elmira grinned ear to ear as she took off the hat. She momentarily saw the furious face of her brother, but was completely focused on the loudness that was the Gryffindor table. The students were hooting and hollering and banging their hands on the table, creating a ruckus that echoed loudly in the stone room. Elmira's grin widened impossibly further as she took her seat among them.

"Black, Sirius!"

The whirlwind of euphoria in Elmira's mind calmed upon hearing that name. She sat up taller in her seat. She knew that name. Her family had spent countless nights at the Black family home. She had vague memories of running through dark halls and hiding under beds with a grey-eyed boy...

It was that very boy who emerged from the crowd. He ran a hand through his long, dark hair, a gesture which would usually elude to nervousness, but he confidently strode up to the chair. He started to put the hat on, but before it touched his head it opened its mouth to yell, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Elmira was momentarily surprised, she had expected him to be in Slytherin, but she joined in with her house's cheers. Sirius Black grinned like he owned the world and sauntered over to the Gryffindor table with an air of casual elegance. He plopped into the seat across from Elmira, offering her a wide grin which she happily returned.

The rest of the sorting commenced and Elmira was beyond ecstatic when both Lily and Remus were sorted into Gryffindor. As soon as the hat called out his house, Remus's shoulders slumped like the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He wasted no time in taking his seat next to Elmira at their table. They beamed at each other like they had been friends for years.

Sirius, who still sat across from Elmira, seemed happy when a boy named James Potter joined them as Gryffindors, but Lily was less than thrilled. She stuck her nose in the air and turned away from the boys with a small hmph. Elmira reminded herself to ask about that later.

To Lily's, and Elmira's slight, disappointment, Severus was sorted into Slytherin. The hook-nosed boy cast Lily a longing glance as he walked by. He even nodded to Elmira politely when he saw she was smiling at him instead of glaring like many of the other Gryffindors.

"It'll be okay, Lily," Elmira whispered to the girl beside her, "You can still be friends even though he's in a different house."

Lily gave a thin-lipped smile, "I know. I just really hoped that…"

"Not surprising." Someone huffed, cutting Lily off, "That greasy haired git belongs in Slytherin."

"No doubt he's halfway to becoming a dark wizard already. I should know, my whole family's full of them."

The girls turned toward the boys seated across from them. Sirius and James. They had identical smirks on their faces and Elmira resisted the urge to smack them upside the head.

"Why don't you two be quiet?! You don't know anything about Severus!" Lily hissed.

James turned and immediately lifted a hand to ruffle his unruly, black hair.

"I think I know enough, Evans." He said, pushing his round glasses further up his nose, "He made himself pretty clear on the train."

"All he said was that he wanted to be in Slytherin!"

"That's more than enough to know he's no good." Sirius leaned back in a leisurely confident way, "Slytherins are evil. Every single one of them."

Elmira frowned deeply at that.

"Being in Slytherin doesn't make anyone evil," she said, fixing her green eyes pointedly on Sirius, "just like being an Avery or a Black doesn't make _us_ evil. Our last names say we should be in Slytherin, but we're not. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."

Sirius' whole body froze, clearly shocked by her words. His mouth hung open slightly and some of his dark hair fell into his face.

Elmira didn't wait for him to collect himself. She shared a small smile with Lily before they both turned away from the boys.

* * *

After dinner, Elmira found herself with Lily in their dorm room. Somehow, their trunks had found their ways to their room, seated neatly on the floor by the end of the beds. Though the room was much smaller than the room Elmira had to herself back at the Avery mansion, she loved it. It was cozy. The four poster beds surrounded by deep red curtains, the little black stove in the middle of the room emanating heat, and the wide windows along the walls all made Elmira feel more at home than she ever had before.

With a cheek numbing smile, Elmira threw herself backward onto her bed.

"It's just amazing, isn't it?" Lily marveled as she held onto Elmira's bed post and spun around, her fiery hair flying out behind her.

"I can't believe I'm here." Elmira murmured, staring intently at the red fabric surrounding her.

"Me either! Hogwarts is better than I ever thought it would be!"

Elmira nodded without taking her eyes off the curtains.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Elmira pushed herself up into a sitting position as the door glided open to reveal two girls.

"Hi," Lily smiled, "Are you our other roommates?"

The taller of the two nodded her golden head as she came further into the room. She had a friendly face that contradicted sharply with her fierce looking indigo colored eyes. That, paired with her lean, towering height, showed Elmira that this girl was not someone she wanted to cross.

"Yeah," the girl said cooly, her Scottish accent thick as she took a seat on the bed across from Elmira's, "I guess it'll just be us four."

Elmira noticed then that there were only four trunks in the room despite there being five beds.

"That'll just make it easier for us to get to know each other!"

The other girl came into the room then, her brown eyes wide with excitement. Her russet colored hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves and, though some might say she was plump, Elmira could tell that, even for an eleven-year-old, she was curvy. She had a nice healthy look to her that just oozed warmth. Elmira immediately liked her.

"Don't be so peppy, Mary." The blonde girl rolled her eyes, smirking.

Mary giggled and shoved the other girl playfully on the shoulder.

"How about you don't be so moody?" She said before turning toward Elmira and Lily, "Sorry about Marlene. She doesn't know how to be happy."

Marlene scoffed, "I know how to be happy. It just doesn't involve being ridiculous."

Mary rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored the comment. She bounced over to Lily and Elmira, her hand outstretched.

"I'm Mary McDonald," she said, "I'm really happy we'll be rooming together!"

Lily laughed and shook the girl's hand, "I'm Lily Evans. It's nice to meet you, Mary."

Mary grinned, "I absolutely love your hair."

Marlene snorted.

"Oh… thanks," Lily blushed and nervously pulled her hair over one shoulder.

The smaller girl beamed and spun toward Elmira, her hand once again outstretched.

Elmira gracefully jumped off the bed to stand in front of Mary. She gave a small smile as she straightened her posture and shook Mary's hand. It was how her father had trained her to greet people, but it was one of the only things he taught her that she didn't mind.

"Elmira Avery," she said kindly, "but I'd rather you call me Mira."

"Mira it is then! I'm glad I won't be the only short one around here."

Elmira grinned at that, noticing that Mary was right. They were both incredibly short. It wasn't something she usually noticed, but even still, she enjoyed having something in common with the nice girl she would be rooming with.

"So, you're an Avery."

Marlene's somewhat haughty voice made Elmira cringe. She let her hand slowly slide out of Mary's and turned toward the blonde girl who now sat with her arms crossed. The two girls looked at each other.

"You don't look like an Avery."

Elmira smirked at that.

It was true. She had her father's heavy, dark chocolate colored hair and thick eyebrows, but otherwise she was nothing like him. She was petite and bony, a gift from her mother, just like her pale green eyes and round nose. Though she naturally had the creamy skin of an Avery, Elmira had spent too many days out in the sun trying to change that. She now had a light tan and a smattering of freckles over every inch of her. Something that irritated her father to no end. Pureblood girls weren't supposed to have freckles. Whoops.

"Thank you." Elmira said happily to Marlene.

The blonde girl cocked her head to the side, surprised, and continued to inspect Elmira like she could somehow read something on her skin.

"You're not like your family, are you?" She asked, though it was more a comment than a question.

"I'm like my mother." Elmira lifted her chin and stared at Marlene, daring her to say something about her mother's character.

The girls held each other's eyes for a moment more before Marlene nodded confidently.

"I like you."

She pushed herself off the bed and sauntered toward Elmira. Looking down at the shorter girl, she offered her hand.

"Marlene McKinnon."

Elmira paused for only a moment, looking up at Marlene, before she shook her hand.

"Elmira Avery."

And just like that, Elmira knew she was where she belonged.

Not long after, Marlene had produced a deck of cards and the girls spent their time playing Exploding Snap. It had taken awhile to explain the game to Lily and Mary, who were both muggle born, but it ended up being the best game Elmira had ever played. She ended up with burned fingers and all four girls had to put out Marlene's hair when it caught fire, but in the end they all had smiles on their faces.

Elmira had hoped to spend some time with Remus, but she knew he needed time to make friends with his roommates just like she was doing. Plus, the last time she had seen him, he was happily talking to James and Sirius.

At first, that had irritated her, but her annoyance had dissolved the second she had seen Remus' carefree smile. Who was she to say who he could and couldn't be friends with? As long as he was happy, then so was she. Even if he did make friends with two obnoxious gits.

Instead of going to find Remus like she'd planned, she, Lily, Mary, and Marlene talked late into the night. Elmira had never had real friends before. Her father had always pushed her toward people he thought were good for her. After spending an afternoon with Bellatrix Black, she had learned quickly not to trust his judgement. Now though, she was far away from her father and she could make friends with whoever she chose, and she chose these girls

Though Marlene was abrasive and blunt, she was honest and her words were always said with kindness, even if it didn't sound like it. Her beauty made her easy to talk to but she had a fiercely loyal streak to her. To Elmira's surprise, Marlene loved wizard fashion and, at the first mention of make-up, had done up each of the girls. Elmira had done it begrudgingly, if only to see her more sullen roommate so happy.

Mary was easily the friendliest of the group. She spent most of the night giggling at the other girl's quirks but somehow also making those quirks seem special. When Elmira snorted like she always did when laughing too hard, she was mortified. Mary, though, said it was unique and showed that Elmira felt comfortable enough to be genuinely happy. To Mary, everything had a streak of goodness. Elmira had the suspicion that she could get along with anyone.

Lily was equally as kind as Mary but had enough sass in her to rival Marlene. At the first mention of James Potter, she flew into a rant that had Elmira desperately trying to hide her giggles. Lily was a beautiful girl and it was somewhat amusing to see her so angry. It contradicted so much with her normally loving personality. She was encouraging to a fault and didn't have a single bad thing to say about anyone (other than James and Sirius, that is).

Elmira didn't know where she fit into their little group, but she didn't doubt for a moment that she belonged. The girls took her in without a second thought and she forgot all about blood purity, family expectations, and her father's silly rules for her. Instead, she taught the girls how to play wizard's chess and showed Mary all of her favorite wizard novels.

Elmira fell into her bed that night, her fingers tingling, makeup smeared on her face, and Marlene's too big skirt around her waist. The lights were still on when she fell asleep to the sound of her friend's snoring but she was too happy to notice either.

In the morning, she would get an irate letter from her father, but it wouldn't matter. Marlene would take it from her hands and rip it to shreds, dumping the pieces into Sirius Black's oatmeal.

For once, there was no fear at all. Just a simple joy of being with friends whose hearts connected with hers.


	4. Spies

_First of all, I just wanted to say a special thank you to those of you that reviewed! You all make my heart warm with your kind words and I really appreciate that you took the time to write anything. So, thank you to shine10, mazeygrace18, northernfiction, and HPuni101._

 _Also, if there's anything anyone wants to see in this story, feel free to let me know. I get bursts of writers' block sometimes and I'd love to hear what anyone has to say/recommend._

 _Lastly, a big thanks to all of you! Happy reading :)_

* * *

Elmira was on a mission.

She stomped around the dark, wooden bookshelves, avoiding drowsy Hogwarts students and magically levitating books as she went. Her scowl and heavy footsteps had students jumping out of her way, which was comical considering she was a very small first year. At least, it would have been comical if she wasn't so annoyed.

It was too early to be in the library, and on a Saturday no less! All her friends were outside enjoying the rare appearance of the English sun and she desperately wanted to join them, but for the umpteenth time that week, she was on a search for Remus instead.

He seemed to have an obsession with making as few social interactions as possible. Usually, Elmira would respect that, but it was getting ridiculous. She had barely seen him the last few days! Actually, pretty much no one had seen him in the last week. He'd make an appearance at breakfast, go to classes, then disappear immediately after. Elmira had let it go for a few days, but it had gone on too long now and frankly, she missed her friend.

She stared intently at each table she passed. After startling a third-year boy she could have sworn looked identical to Remus from behind, she finally found the boy she'd been searching for.

He sat alone in the furthest corner of the library surrounded by an enormous pile of books which Elmira could only describe as a fortress. She'd almost missed him behind the parchment-and-binding walls, but his sandy colored hair stuck out from the top. Coming closer, her pace slowed as she took in his haggard appearance. It looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. The sight of his translucent skin, sunken looking eyes surrounded by dark circles, and messy hair made Elmira frown.

Something panged in her chest. In the short time she'd known him, she'd quickly learned that he was different. She didn't know why or how, but she knew it wasn't anything good, whatever it was. That was painfully obvious. Her heart clenched seeing her friend so… worn, so pained. Nothing like a child should look…

Loud laughter from outside the castle made Remus turn away from his work. He looked longingly out the window and Elmira was suddenly reminded why she'd come here in the first place. Some of her irritation now revitalized, she walked up to him at his table.

She stood there, hands on her hip and an unrelenting stare fixed on the little bit of his head she could see. Though he didn't say anything, it was obvious he knew she was there. He spun forward in his chair and his head lifted minutely, almost like he was looking at her through his pile of books.

Elmira waited a moment, hoping he would say something, but when the silence went uninterrupted, she let out an annoyed huff and picked up the tall pile of books in front of her. Remus was now clearly visible but he refused to look up.

"You can't hide away in here forever, Rem." She said, peering at him over the stack in her arms.

"I'm not hiding," the boy hunched further over his parchment, "we got a lot of homework from Transfiguration. I'm just being studious."

Elmira rolled her eyes and dropped the heavy stack of books onto the corner of his desk. They fell with a loud thud. Some of the other students shushed her but she didn't pay them any mind.

"You know as well as I do that the homework isn't due for another week," she said, crossing her arms and fixing a hard look on her friend.

"Yeah, well, I just need to get it done, okay, Mira?"

His voice was tight and full of irritation. Elmira frowned. Though she'd only known Remus for two months, he was rarely anything other than sweet. Besides Lily, he'd easily become her best friend at Hogwarts, but she hadn't yet figured out how to deal with him when he got like this. Short tempered and closed off. There were times Elmira got the feeling he was hiding something from her and it wasn't just that he'd practically lock himself in the library.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Elmira asked in exasperation. Her voice came out sharper than she'd like it to and Remus flinched almost unnoticeably. He tightened his grip on his quill, hunching his shoulders further so his face was out of view. She felt a twinge of guilt.

"Remus," she said more gently, falling into the seat across from him, "What's wrong?"

Elmira watched as his body tensed. His palm smudged the ink on his parchment but he didn't do anything to correct it. That concerned her more than the silence.

"Did I do something?" she frowned with worry, "I'm sorry if I did. I didn't mean to upset you… You know I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose, right?"

As she babbled, the tension in Remus' shoulders loosened and he let out a small sigh. His warm, brown eyes flicked up toward her, full of sadness and looking much too aged for an eleven-year-old. Elmira immediately reached out to cover his hand with hers. His fingers remained clenched for a moment before they relaxed.

"You didn't do anything, Mira," he sighed, dropping his quill to run a tired hand over his face, "I'm just not feeling well is all."

"Are you okay?"

Remus's lips turned up in a small, grateful smile when he saw the obvious concern on her face.

"I'm fine. I promise."

Although that made her feel better, she frowned.

"But… why…" she paused, hesitant to bring the topic up again, "Why have you been avoiding me, then?"

He immediately turned back at his parchment, "I'm not."

"Please don't lie to me."

Remus looked back up at her, clearly about to protest but he snapped his mouth closed when he saw the incredulous look on her face. They stared at each other. Elmira searched his face, trying to figure out whatever it was he wasn't telling her. Her eyes drifted to his forehead and she frowned.

"What happened to your head?" she said worriedly, leaning across the table to hold his hair back. Luckily, he was too caught off guard to move out of the way and she clearly saw the small, still raw scar above his right eyebrow.

He eventually recovered and swatted her hand away from his face.

"Nothing happened," he said hurriedly, "I'm fine."

"That's not fine! It's a scar! You don't just get those willy-nilly!"

"Willy-nilly?"

"Don't you dare try to change the subject," Elmira pointed at him before sighing gently, her forehead creasing, "really, Remus, something obviously hurt you. Tell me what happened."

"I'm _fine_. Honestly. It's nothing but a scratch."

He busied himself straightening an already tidy pile of books next to him. The papers rustled and Elmira thought she heard him mutter something sounding like 'I've had worse before'. She frowned deeply. Though she was only eleven, she knew too much about the horrors of the world, enough to know that she wanted them to have nothing to do with Remus.

She reached out to hold his hand tightly in hers.

"Is someone hurting you?"

His head flew up at her words, eyes wide in undiluted surprise.

Elmira leaned forward, speaking urgently, "If someone's hurting you, we can go to Dumbledore and I'm sure he'd help you… _I'll_ help you if you need it."

Remus was still. His mouth hung open slightly and he looked at her in absolute awe. It wasn't the reaction Elmira was expecting. Not knowing what to say, she just stared at him, hoping he would explain or hoping that _maybe_ the answers would just fly down to her like the library books did.

After a moment or two of staring, Remus smiled. It was the kind of smile that Elmira was used to from him: full of warmth and kindness and covering up all the exhaustion which had practically been stitched into his skin only moments before. Though she was still worried, his smile calmed her.

"I really appreciate your concern for me," he said sincerely, his brown eyes soft, "but I promise there's nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly fine."

He squeezed her hand and offered her another smile, not looking away until she nodded at him. It wasn't that she really, truly believed him, but she didn't have any reason not to. She knew that if she kept pestering him for answers, then he'd just close himself off and she'd have a whole new problem to deal with. The best idea was to just let it go. At least for now. She'd find out sooner or later. She'd make sure of it.

Feeling a little more secure that Remus was alright, she leaned back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest as she watched him return to his work.

"There you are, Mira! I've been looking all over for you!"

The voice made Elmira turn her head. She immediately smiled upon seeing Lily heading her way. Severus trailed along behind her, but he was far enough away that Elmira knew he didn't really want to be there. She paid him no mind as Lily stopped next to her chair.

"We've been waiting for you by the lake, but you didn't come back," the red head admonished, placing her hands on her hips.

Elmira smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Lil. I meant to be quick."

"That's quite alright. I just got tired of waiting. Well… Sev got tired of waiting and I just wasn't having as much fun without you so here we are."

Lily smiled her thousand-watt smile and Elmira couldn't help but giggle at the way her friend practically oozed positivity.

"Alright, alright," Elmira said, pushing her chair back to stand up, "I'm coming."

Lily beamed before turning toward Remus.

"Aren't you coming too?" She asked, genuine kindness in her eyes as she looked at the quiet boy.

Remus shook his head, "No thank you, Lily, but I appreciate the offer."

"That's too bad," Lily said, looking truly disappointed, "well if you change your mind, we'll be out by the lake. Sev and Mira have a chess match planned and I heard your friends talking about going swimming. Though I think that's a ridiculous plan, I'm sure you'd have fun with them."

"I'll think about it."

Sadness overtook Remus' eyes and Elmira once again felt that pang in her chest.

Lily nodded, smiling at Remus once more before turning toward Severus who stood almost statue-like a few feet away. Though she knew she was supposed to follow, Elmira didn't move. Her eyes were fixated on Remus as he once again hunched over his parchment.

"Aren't you coming, Mira?" Lily called out.

"I'll catch up with you," she said distractedly. Lily let out an irritated huff and Elmira turned to give her a pleading look, "It'll just be another minute or two. I promise."

Lily frowned but nodded, "Alright, but I'll be cross with you if you're any later than that."

"Noted."

With one more nod, Lily turned and left the library, Severus following closely behind. Elmira gave them one last glance before she turned back to Remus. He'd stopped writing and heaved a long sigh once they were alone.

"For the last time, Mira, I'm fine," he said tiredly, "You should just go have fun. It's a nice day and I'm sure you could use a break."

"I'm not here to nag you, Rem," she responded quickly, coming to stand next to his chair. She put her hand on his arm and he reluctantly raised his head to look her in the eyes. The weariness was back and she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"I just needed to tell you that I know something's up with you," she whispered and, ignoring his protests, pressed on, "I don't know what but, whatever it is, I don't care. You're my best friend and I just want you to be happy, okay? It's just that you... you always isolate yourself and get so secretive and you just stop hanging out with everyone. Even though I don't know your secret, I do know that all your friends love you and we miss you when you disappear… I miss you."

Remus looked at the ground, nodding his head. For anyone else, that would seem dismissive but Elmira noticed the way his shoulders trembled. His hands clenched over his knees and she knew he was on the verge of tears. Without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. One of his arms reached up to hold onto her back.

"No matter how bad your secret is, you shouldn't let it keep you from being happy," Elmira whispered, pressing her cheek against his head, "You'll always be my best friend. Nothing will change that."

She felt him nod and she pulled back to look at him. Though her words did nothing to erase the sadness in his eyes, a small smile pulled on his lips. Elmira took that as a victory.

"You going to be okay in here by yourself?" She asked.

He wiped at his face with his sleeve and nodded.

"Alright then," Elmira said, "well, like Lily said, if you change your mind, we'll be by the lake."

There was a moment of silence and she didn't think he was going to say anything. She let out a small sigh through her nose before squeezing Remus' shoulder gently. If he wasn't going to talk, she wasn't going to force him.

Elmira spared him one last glance before leaving the library.

Though she was excited to finally be enjoying the day like she'd planned, she couldn't stop thinking about Remus. Something was wrong. She just _knew_ it. Though he'd never admitted to having a secret, he never corrected her when she said he did, and she said that often. Marlene and Lily had told her to stop being silly, that Remus was fine, to let it go, but she couldn't. She'd tried to forget about it, she really did, but every time she looked at him, there was this stirring feeling in her stomach. It wasn't a bothersome feeling, which was curious, but it poked at her, like it was telling her there _was_ a secret and she should look closer.

The problem was, Remus didn't want her to find it out. That was clear by his disappearances and the irritated way he'd respond to any of her questions. Frankly, it was more than a little frustrating.

With that on her mind, she walked briskly through the doors of the entrance hall. Warm, white light flooded her and her skin breathed a sigh of relief. The grass looked greener than she'd ever seen, lush and soft. Various students lay out on the lawns, reading or relaxing or, for a few older girls, tanning. Quite a distance away from her, Elmira could barely make out the small figures of boys jumping into the lake. Crystalline water rose into the air before erupting and splattering droplets on those around the shore.

Despite all the merriment around her, Elmira glanced toward the library. How could her friend willingly miss a day like this? It just had to have something to do with his secret…

She shook her head, walking forward with new purpose.

She was going to figure Remus out. Mission number one, she decided.

Smiling broadly now and feeling somewhat like those muggle spies Mary had told her about, she hurried over to Lily and Severus where they sat underneath the wide tree by the lake. A large yellow blanket Elmira recognized from Lily's bed lay underneath their crossed legs, a chess set between them.

"Did I make it?" Elmira asked, falling down next to Lily and smiling widely at her, "Two minutes or less?"

Lily tried her best to look irritated, "Technically, but you've made us wait for far too long."

"I know, Lil," Elmira grinned, "but I'm here now so you can see me soundly beat Severus."

"I wouldn't think so highly of yourself," the boy across from her said. His voice sounded like a sneer though his lips curled in a tiny, amused smile, "Those who do often find themselves falling back to earth rather quickly."

"Why Severus, is that a threat?" Elmira's grin widened impossibly further as she leaned toward him, one eyebrow raised.

"We'll let the game decide."

He reached out to move one of the glossy black pawns, starting the game. Elmira shot him a cheeky smile as he leaned forward. A few strands of his long hair fell into his face but he ignored it and waved his hand over the board, gesturing for her to make her move. She took her time making herself comfortable on the blanket, much to Severus' annoyance and her enjoyment, before she moved her white pawn to mirror his.

Lily lay on her back, sprawled out next to her friends. Her hair fanned out around her head in a fiery halo as she held a book above her face. Elmira noticed Severus staring but she quickly pretended she hadn't seen when he turned toward her.

Elmira lost track of time as the game commenced. They must have played for a couple hours at least because the sun slowly rose until it beat down from directly ahead. Though the light was now perfectly aligned to blind Elmira, she ignored it. Severus would beat her if she wasn't careful so she continued to stare intently at the game before her.

"Getting nervous are you, Avery?"

She could see Severus looking at her, smirking, but she didn't look up from the chess board. Her fingers tapped her knight piece as she considered her next move.

"You're only seeing what you want to see, Sev," she mumbled, frowning as she moved her bishop instead, "and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Mira?"

"At least once more, I'd think." His thin lips pulled back in a grin as he wasted no time in moving his queen. Elmira tried not to smile.

"Mmm," she hummed, "I see. Don't want to get too chummy with your opponent."

"I find it a good strategy. At least when one player is much more skilled than the other."

"That's very kind of you, Sev, it takes a lot to admit when you're outmatched."

He fixed his beady black eyes on her in a penetrating stare that Elmira always thought could burn a hole through a wall if he really put his mind to it. Though other people shied away from him when he focused that look on them, she'd grown used to it. She grinned at him.

"Now who's seeing what they want to see?" He murmured, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Definitely you."

Lily giggled at that and Elmira turned toward her, grinning triumphantly.

"She's not gonna back down, Sev," Lily said. Her book lay next to her, closed, with the bookmark between the pages and the back cover. Elmira knew she'd probably finished it ages ago. To keep herself entertained, she held her wand in her hand, lazily levitating a couple dozen leaves in the air above her.

"That's amazing!" Elmira marveled, "you have to teach me how to do that sometime."

"It's just wingardium leviosa," Lily giggled, turning her head to look at Elmira.

"Yeah, but we only learned how to do one! You're doing… I don't know how many and you're not even looking at them!"

"It's called being a competent witch," Severus said, making Elmira stick her tongue out at him.

"Oh hush, Sev," Lily chastised through a smile, "Mira is plenty talented. She's better than both of us at Transfiguration and Defense."

"Yes," Severus drawled, staring pointedly at Elmira, "too bad she can't make a decent potion."

"Hey! I can too! I'm just messy is all…"

Severus rolled his eyes.

"You'll get it eventually," Lily said kindly.

"Thank you, Lily," Elmira said with a flourish, "I'm glad you believe in me, unlike _someone_."

Severus didn't say anything. He just smiled his crooked toothed smile and looked down at her over his hooked nose.

"Well, joke's on you, Sev," she continued, leaning forward to move her rook forward, "Checkmate."

His eyes grew almost unnoticeably wider and he looked at the board. It was obvious that he didn't believe her. Lily scrambled over, her leaves raining down as she peered at the board excitedly. Elmira crossed her arms smugly.

"You distracted me," Severus declared once he'd realized she had, indeed, beaten him, "that's the only way you won, Avery-"

"Mira." She interrupted, still smiling.

"-and I demand a rematch. This time somewhere less… distracting."

Elmira assumed he was referring to the group of boys who were still swimming around in the Great Lake. They hooted and hollered as they waded through the water, splashing each other and causing such a large racket, it was surprising none of the teachers had come out to stop them yet.

"Alright," Elmira said, "we can play in the library. I'm sure that's quiet enough for you?"

Lily snickered at the taunt. It was barely disguised by Elmira's sweet tone, but both she and Severus heard. His eyes narrowed at her as he smirked.

"It is," he said, "You'll find that I'll beat you rather quickly there."

Elmira grinned, "Can't wait."

Lily decided then that she as hungry and the trio started packing up their things. Elmira made sure to be extra careful with Severus' chess set. It wasn't the nicest thing, a few of the pieces scrapped and the paint chipped in places, but she had a feeling it was the nicest thing he owned.

They'd just folded Lily's blanket and stowed it away in her bag when the sound of an obnoxious voice rang out toward them.

"Oi! Snivellus! I didn't know you could swim!"

Turning, they saw James Potter and Sirius Black cackling madly. They stood in the lake, the water only reaching their knees. Strings of seaweed dangled from Potter's head as he stood hunched over in an exaggerated impression of Severus. Elmira had to admit it wasn't far off, but the sight of it had her blood boiling and, by the looks of it, Severus' too. He stood beside her, his hand balled in a white-knuckled fist as he gripped his wand.

"Don't, Sev," Lily said, pulling his wand hand down. Her voice was tight and she glared intensely at the idiotic Gryffindor boys.

"I thought you were allergic to water, Snivellus!" Sirius called out dramatically, his eyes flicking toward his audience on the shore, "That's why you never shower."

James gasped and threw his hands over his heart.

"You're right, Mr. Black! I must have forgotten." He said, "I guess that's what I get for being a stupid git!"

He suddenly dived under the water. Thrashing around, he pretended to drown while Black looked on, laughing like he'd never seen anything funnier. Bits of seaweed rose to the surface and drifted toward the shore. Severus looked down at it like it might burn him.

"Come on," Lily said, tugging at his arm, "let's just go inside and eat. We don't have to listen to this."

Severus looked like he might lose it. Scowling darkly, he moved toward the water but Lily held him back. She peered up at him, her emerald eyes begging him to let it go and, after a moment, he turned abruptly on his heel and stalked off toward the castle. Lily quickly followed after him but Elmira stood rooted by the lake, glaring at the boys who stood only a dozen or so feet from her.

"Why'd you have to do that?" She called out angrily.

"Oh, come on," Potter said, floating lazily on the water, "you can't tell me we're wrong."

Black nodded and turned his cocky, lopsided grin toward her.

"Everyone knows he doesn't shower. It's common knowledge."

"But you're bullying him!" Elmira yelled.

"I think he deserves it, don't you?" Black gestured to Potter, who nodded immediately, before turning toward the shore a little, "Don't you, Pete?"

For the first time, Elmira noticed a small, pudgy boy sitting by the lake. Peter Pettigrew. He had mousy brown hair and small, watery eyes that stared widely at James and Sirius. Elmira knew him only through stories from Remus, but the few times she had seen him in school, he was following after his louder and more popular friends. Right now, he nodded quickly at Sirius' recognition of his presence.

"Yes, definitely," he said, his voice squeaky and eager.

Black took that as a boost to his ego and nodded confidently before turning his grey eyes on Elmira. He smirked in that arrogant way of his and she fought the urge to hex him. Though she wasn't all too fond of her brother, Bastian had taught her a few curses she'd really have no problem using right now.

"Looks like you're outnumbered, love."

She bristled at his use of the word 'love' and at the way he winked at her. With gritted teeth, she glared at him.

"Why are you so-"

"Charming?" he interrupted, a cocky grin on his face, "Ruggedly handsome? Out of your league?"

Potter erupted into laughter. He sank a little in the water before standing and giving Black a high five.

"Good one, Sirius."

Elmira blushed in embarrassment. She was about to tell them both off when Black turned his eyes toward her. They looked exactly like his mother's. He grinned knowingly, arrogantly, in that Black way that just dripped with authority. Elmira immediately felt small.

She shook her head angrily and turned away from him, muttering under her breath as she stomped off toward the castle. The sound of the boys' laughter followed her and she tried to walk faster.

"I don't know why Remus hangs out with those bloody arse hats…" she mumbled fiercely to herself, kicking a rock with all the force she could muster. It bounced on the path, clattering loudly once it hit the wall of the castle.

"Hey, Avery! Slow down for a second!"

Black's voice rang out behind her and she clenched her jaw, walking quicker. His footsteps were fast and loud as he chased after her. When he finally caught up, he walked next to her like they were friends, which they absolutely were not. Elmira glared up at him, growing increasingly pissed off by the second.

"What?" She hissed.

He smirked at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

She scoffed, "Well you should have thought about that before you were a complete git."

"It's important though," he whined, giving her some pretty convincing puppy-dog eyes.

She rolled her eyes and walked faster, "Too bad."

"Come on, Avery! I know you're curious." He ran ahead of her and started walking backward. It was incredibly smooth and incredibly annoying.

"Shove off, Black." She growled, side stepping him. To her relief, he didn't try to get in her way and she strode briskly through the doors to the Entrance Hall.

"It's about Remus!"

His words reverberated off the stone walls and she stopped abruptly. Clenching her teeth and fighting her urge to leave him standing there like an idiot, she spun around.

"What?" She demanded, irritation lacing her voice.

He grinned widely and strode up to her at a pace so leisurely she wanted to kill him.

"Remus." He said once he reached her.

"Yes," she spat, annoyed, "I know who he is."

"There's something up with him."

"And…?"

"And," he grinned down at her, his grey eyes twinkling with mischief, "I am requesting your help in figuring it out."

She stared at him, confused. Her eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because you know him better than anyone else!" he declared, "What's better than an inside-man, er… woman when you're trying to find out a secret?"

"Don't make it sound like we're spying on him." She snapped, raising her head haughtily and ignoring the fact that she had been planning on doing exactly that. It was somewhat hypocritical, but Black didn't have to know.

"Don't you want to figure out what's going on with him?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and staring at her intensely.

She paused, teasing her bottom lip between her teeth. It was true. She wanted to figure Remus' secret out. She wanted to help him and maybe having help of her own wouldn't be such a bad idea…

"Fine." She sighed and straightened her posture, looking up at Black now. All business.

"What do you want me to do?"


	5. Trolls and Goblins

"You want me to keep a log?"

Elmira stared incredulously at the annoyingly confident boy in front of her.

"Yes." He said, crossing his arms over his chest happily.

Elmira blinked once.

"A _Remus_ log."

She said it like it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. It actually was.

Sirius rolled his eyes, " _Yes._ A Remus log."

"That's the stupidest idea ever."

"Well what do _you_ have in mind, then, Miss Smartypants?"

Elmira glared at him.

"That's what I though." Said Sirius smugly then shoved a book into her hands, "So the log. You just write in your book and it'll show up in mine."

Elmira turned the dark, leather book over in her hands. It was nice and looked expensive. Two flaps of rich, brown leather covered the pages, held down by a thick strap. An identical book was stuffed under Sirius' arm.

"Where'd you even get these?" She asked, running her finger over the engravings on the front.

He stiffened.

"It doesn't matter." The smug look was completely erased and his eyes hardened, "Will you do it or not?"

She sighed at his odd change in mood and bit her lip, "What exactly am I supposed to write in here?"

"Everything."

"Everything?" Elmira raised a brow, "I can't possibly write down _everything._ "

"Do you want to be a spy or not?"

She almost laughed at the absolutely serious look on his face.

"I don't want to spy on _Remus._ " She gave him a pointed look, "What if he finds these? I don't think he'd be too happy to know his best mates are spying on him."

"He won't find out." He sighed like she was a complete dunce, "Only the owners of the books can read them."

Elmira pursed her lips, impressed.

"Alright." She said, "But what, _exactly,_ do you want me to write? And don't say everything. I'm not going to write what he had for breakfast and I certainly don't want you to write how often he goes to the bathroom."

Sirius grinned, "I dunno. Maybe we could predict what he'll do before he even does it…"

" _Black_." Elmira groaned.

"Okay. Okay." He chuckled, "Just write what you think is important. If you notice he looks extra tired one day, or if he says something weird, write it down. Definitely write when he disappears, and when he gets one of those mysterious scars he says is nothing to worry about."

Elmira pressed her lips together.

"Those stupid scars…" She mumbled under her breath, biting her lip now in anger.

"I know." Sirius said, running his hand through his hair agitatedly, "That's why we have to do this."

Elmira nodded, completely on board now.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

He shook his head, "Just you and me."

"Good."

"You're in on a Sirius Black secret now." He grinned, wagging his eyebrows at her, "Not many get the privilege."

"I'm honored." She said dryly.

Sirius' grin widened, and he leaned up against the wall beside her. His grey eyes twinkled. She raised an eyebrow.

"How does it feel to work one on one with one of the most dashing men at Hogwarts."

Elmira stared at him for a second. He was trying to get a rise out of her.

"Yeah." She said, stuffing the leather book into her bag, "I've had enough of you for today. See you later."

With that, she pushed passed him and headed into the castle, his laughter following after her.

"I expect the book back when we're done!" He yelled, "It's not a gift!"

Elmira rolled her eyes.

"I didn't think it was!" She called back without turning.

"See you around, Avery! Hopefully not with that greasy git you call a friend!"

And just like that, Elmira regretted agreeing to this.

Sirius Black was an arse.

* * *

The next morning, Elmira woke up to the shrillest, most eardrum-shattering shriek she'd ever heard. She sat upright in her bed, sure to find her friends bludgeoned to death before her. Her eyes were wide, completely awake even though she'd been sleeping not even five seconds ago.

She found no bodies and no blood. The room was a wreck though. Clothes and bedsheets were splayed out on the floor, and her roommates weren't dead, but frantically hurrying about the room. Lily bolted passed Elmira's bed, still shrieking, and ran toward the bathroom. Her dark, red hair was a mane behind her.

Elmira frowned, very confused about what was going on. She turned to Marlene's bed across from hers and gave the tall girl a questioning look.

"We overslept!" Marlene yelled. She tottered as she stood on one foot, tugging her shoes on and still wearing the black Montrose Magpies jersey she used as pajamas.

Elmira's eyes widened in horror. She jumped out of bed without another thought. In her haste, she forgot to check her step and ended up slipping on a pair of pants she'd thrown on the floor the night before. Her elbow hit the bed post and she landed flat on her bottom.

"How late are we?" She rubbed her now-sore rump and pushed herself up.

Mary popped her head out of the bathroom, her auburn hair sticking up on the right side of her head like feathers on a party hat.

"We missed Potions!" She exclaimed, sounding like she might cry, "And we're going to be late for Transfiguration too!"

Elmira froze where she stood rummaging in her trunk for her uniform. The news quickly sank in and she spun back around. She'd never been late to class in her life. Granted, she'd only been going to school for a little over two months, but she had a reputation to uphold.

She moved faster than she ever remembered moving before. It gave her a slight headrush. The other girls were blurs too, and before even twenty seconds had passed, they were all dressed and scrambling down the girl's dormitory stairs, a mess of limbs and frizzy hair.

"How did this happen?" Elmira cried out in frustration, fighting with her long hair as she ran. It was horribly tangled and refused to stay in a ponytail.

Lily shook her head quickly, "I don't know! My alarm clock was missing from the side table when I woke up!"

"This is why I said we should use a spell!" Marlene growled, increasing her already quick pace. The other girls struggled to keep up with her long-legged strides. "Or at least have one of the house elves wake us up! But no. No one ever listens to me."

"Stuff it, Lene." Mary grumbled angrily. Though the small girl was easily the friendliest of the four, she was not a morning person. At all. Right now, her kind face was twisted in a sour expression as she glared at the floor.

"Don't snap at me just because you're narked." Marlene snapped, her indigo eyes narrowing.

Mary huffed and grumbled unintelligibly under her breath.

"Stop it. Both of you." Lily ordered. She somehow managed to pass Marlene and was now leading the group as they sprinted through the empty corridors. "We don't have time to argue."

Elmira groaned as they flew around a corner. She hated running. That paired with the trouble they were going to be in was recipe for the start of a truly horrible day. Usually, she'd be unimaginably stressed with it all, but the adrenaline was oddly making her resigned to whatever else happened. There was no point in worrying.

She giggled quietly to herself before erupting in a fit of high-pitched laughter. The other girls looked at her like she was mad.

"Have you gone barmy?" Marlene raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

Elmira shook her head.

"McGonagall's going to be so mad." She explained simply through her giggles, shrugging and looking up as if both preparing herself for what would happen but also finding it equally hilarious as it was terrifying.

Mary snorted humorlessly.

"Of course she is!" Lily shrieked, throwing her arms down by her sides, "Why do you think we're running right now!"

Though Lily was yelling, all Elmira could focus on was the way the girl's messy bun flopped left and right over the top of her head in time with her footsteps. It looked like she's strapped a soggy bagel to her head. Elmira snorted and covered her mouth in glee. She excitedly turned to look at Marlene and Mary. Marlene's shirt was tucked into her underwear more than her skirt and one of her knee-high socks was rolled down, scrunched by her ankle. Mary had tried to tame her bed head, but the right side closely resembled a bush. Elmira reached up to touch her own hair. She felt several pieces sticking up on top and noticed she'd missed a whole strand in the back that wasn't even in the ponytail.

Her laugher grew.

"We look so ridiculous!" She cackled madly, tears in her eyes. A stitch in her side burned from laughing so much and she had to slow down.

" _You're_ ridiculous, Mira!" Mary tried to scold her, but she smiled, the ghost of a laugh in her voice. Lily giggled quietly to herself and Marlene rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Come on, you nut." The blonde grabbed Elmira's elbow and pulled her along behind her.

The girls continued to run, laughing now. Paintings gave them funny looks as they passed which only made them laugh louder. Luckily, the moving staircases decided to behave, and it wasn't long before they reached the Transfiguration classroom.

"We're only a few minutes late." Mary mumbled, checking the muggle-made watch on her wrist, "We shouldn't have missed much. Maybe McGonagall will have mercy on us…"

The other girls nodded, not really expecting anything of the sort. Elmira quickly pulled herself together, wiping the tears from her eyes, and followed her friends as Lily pushed open the door and scurried in.

Everyone turned to stare at them. Elmira blushed and looked down, feeling immensely less giddy than she had moments before. Marlene, still holding her arm, pulled her quickly through the middle isle between the rows of two-person desks. Lily and Elmira plopped down into their usual seats at the very front while Mary and Marlene fell into the ones behind them.

Elmira looked up as she hurried to pull her supplies from her bag. A silver, tabby cat sat on McGonagall's large, wooden desk in front of her. Its tail swished agitatedly back and forth. Elmira made eye contact with it and it looked back at her, seeming to raise its brow in question.

"Sorry, professor." She mumbled, looking down again, "We overslept."

There was a beat of silence then the whoosh of swishing fabric. Elmira winced. A pair of familiar shoes and emerald robes now stood directly in front of her desk. She slowly raised her eyes to see Professor McGonagall, now in her human form, staring strictly down at her.

"Punctuality is something I expect of my students, Miss Avery." The tall witch said. Though she spoke evenly, her anger was obvious from how tightly her lips were pressed into a thin line, "The only acceptable excuse for tardiness is loss of life or limb, and, since I see neither you nor Misses McDonald, Evans, _or_ McKinnon are limbless or deceased..."

She paused, and Elmira shrunk low in her desk. Lily beside her was blushing a color almost as deep as her hair.

"40 points from Gryffindor." McGonagall ignored the collective groan from the Gryffindors in the room and turned back toward the front of the room, "The assignment is written on the board. I expect yours, ladies, on my desk at the end of class like everyone else's."

The girls murmured 'yes professor' and the whole class focused their attention back on what they were supposed to be doing. A soft chatter filled the room as the students returned to their assignments. Elmira breathed a sigh of relief.

"That wasn't so bad." She whispered to Lily who was bent over her desk, furiously writing on a blank piece of parchment.

"I'm surprised she didn't skin us." The red-head grinned and widened her eyes dramatically though she didn't look up from her work.

Elmira giggled, "We wouldn't make very good cat toys."

Lily snorted, and Elmira fought to stifle her own giggles.

The sound of McGonagall clearing her throat loudly had the girls' mouths clamping shut and their eyes snapping up to where the professor sat at her desk. Elmira could feel the guilt on her face. McGonagall raised her brows in warning and the two girls lowered their heads sheepishly, returning to their work. Elmira, though, let herself look back up, and briefly saw Professor McGonagall's lips quirk up in the tiniest of smiles. She bit her lip to hide her grin.

Before long, class let out. Despite being late, Elmira and Lily were one of the first to turn in their assignments. Remus and his friends followed closely after. As soon as McGonagall dismissed them, everyone in the room scattered. Marlene practically ran into the hall. She dragged Mary out behind her, yelling something about needing to eat before she keeled over.

"I'd _kill_ for some eggs right now." Lily said, pulling the strap of her shoulder bag down as she groaned.

Elmira nodded. Her stomach rumbled, and she quickened her pace in the direction Marlene and Mary had gone.

"Let's go!" She bounced on her toes, "As fast as possible."

Lily was about to follow when the sound of mad cackling echoed in the stone passageway. Elmira paused at the end of the hall. She recognized the voices.

"What are they up to now?" Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Elmira mumbled just as the boys rounded the corner.

James Potter was the first to come into view. His normally messy black hair stuck up in every direction. He was walking backward, his brown eyes gleaming as he tossed something in the air which was quickly caught by Sirius Black. The taller boy curled his arm behind his back and threw the item back to James.

"You're a genius, James." He grinned wolfishly "Truly. You are."

James nodded emphatically, "It's right time you noticed, you git."

Sirius' grin widened despite the insult.

Suddenly, Remus skidded around the corner. The tall boy almost toppled over but quickly righted himself. His robes were askew, hanging off his shoulder on one side. He looked irritated, but it turned into amusement once he found his friends, then to nervousness as his eyes followed the item they were tossing around.

"Alright," he said, hurrying to catch up to them, "you've had your fun. It's time to give it back."

James looked affronted.

"Give it back?" He exclaimed. His round spectacles slipped down his nose as he stared incredulously at Remus.

Sirius nodded in agreement with James' opposition and threw his arm cordially around Remus' shoulders.

"That, my friend, would be a waste of potential!" He gave Remus a small shake, "We can't quit when we've just begun."

Remus shook his head in disbelief. It was obvious he was trying to remain strict, but an amused smile pulled on his lips anyway. He was about to say something to Sirius when he looked up, making eye contact with Elmira. He snapped his mouth closed. Sirius, noticing the change in Remus, looked up to see the girls standing at the end of the corridor, clearly having heard their conversation. His grey eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Hello, ladies!" He exclaimed, letting go of Remus to walk toward them with his arms extended. Elmira distastefully watched him approach. He grinned.

"You're both looking lovely this morning."

Elmira wasn't fazed by the jab.

"Still better than you on a good day." She quirked her eyebrow and pointedly scanned her eyes up and down him, "Which today _clearly_ isn't."

Lily rammed Elmira with her elbow. She groaned once but didn't look away from Sirius. She enjoyed seeing his ego deflate. The boy looked a little put out at her words, but he kept grinning anyway.

"I always knew you had no taste." He said, smiling that cocky, lopsided smile of his that made Elmira's blood boil. Before she could say anything scathing back at him, he threw his arm out and snapped his fingers at James. The bespectacled boy tossed him the item they'd been throwing. Sirius caught it easily, turning it over in his hands, before he smirked and threw it at Lily.

"I think you'll want this back."

It almost hit Lily in the face but she put her hands up at the last second.

"Are you trying to take my eye out?" She hissed, glaring at Sirius. Her emerald eyes glinted dangerously. If he had something to say, he didn't have the chance because Elmira took the time they were distracted to peer into Lily's hands. She was curious about what had had the boys so excited.

A little metal alarm clock.

Lily's alarm clock.

"You're an _arse_ , Sirius Black!" She hissed once she recognized it, "You as well, James!"

Elmira shot her glare between the two boys, her pale green eyes fiery despite the soft, washed out color. She turned the icy look on Remus who shrunk back from her, his eyes searching for somewhere to look, anywhere that wasn't her really. She didn't say anything to him. He knew what he'd done.

Lily, though, had much more to say.

"Is that my alarm clock?" She spluttered in anger, her face growing redder by the second, "You made us miss potions! We were late to transfiguration because of you! You-you insolent _cabbage_!"

Elmira was somewhat caught off guard by the strange insult, and so were the boys.

"What did you just call me?" Sirius snorted, blinking in astonishment. Lily ignored it and advanced on him.

"Did you come into our room while we were sleeping?" She shoved her finger in his face. He smirked down at her, but didn't say anything. James stupidly took that as his cue to step in. He gave Sirius a brotherly pat on the back before ruffling his hair and grinning at the irate red-head in front of him.

"You only snore a little, Lily Flower." He said. Remus hissed at him to shut up, but the dark-haired boy continued on, "I wouldn't worry about it though. It's kind of cute."

In the span of one second, Lily had hooked her foot behind James' ankles and shoved his chest with all her strength. The boy's arms flailed in the air before he fell backward, hitting the ground clumsily. He lay there in a heap underneath his black cloak, too astonished to say anything.

The hall was dead silent. Sirius, Remus, and Elmira watched, open mouthed, as Lily stepped up to James.

"Don't you dare come into our room again." She said, shoving her alarm clock into the deep pocket of her cloak, "If you do, I'll use my wand and you won't get off so easy."

With one more heated glare down at Potter, Lily flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed off down the hall. The boys watched her walk away, their mouths hanging open. Elmira smirked at the sight of them all. They looked like idiots. Well, they _were_ idiots, but now they actually looked the part.

Though she was mad at them all for breaking into her dorm, stealing Lily's alarm clock, making them miss Potions, embarrassing them in front of the entire class, and causing them to lose 40 house points, the look on their faces made up for it. Especially James'. He looked like he'd been thoroughly put in his place.

"You alright, Potter?" She crossed her arms and looked down at the boy. He nodded dumbly, not taking his eyes off the spot where Lily had disappeared. Her words shook the other boys out of their stupor. Remus shook his head in amusement, while a small grin crept onto Sirius' face. He barked a laugh.

"She got you good!" He exclaimed, spinning around to look down at James, "Stealing that clock was totally worth seeing you get your arse kicked, mate! Especially by Evans!"

"Not that I don't agree with you on that," Elmira frowned, "but how'd you get into the girl's dorms anyway? The stairs are enchanted."

Sirius grinned and wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Don't worry about it, love."

She resisted the urge to kick him. Instead, she turned away with a huff. He was such an arrogant prat. How Remus managed to put up with him was a mystery to her.

"Up you get, mate."

Still fuming, Elmira watched Remus pull James to his feet. His glasses were askew, but he made no move to right them. Remus snorted quietly at the sight before adjusting them himself. James didn't even seem to notice. He stood frozen, staring off in the distance.

Elmira turned to the two other boys with a frown.

"What's wrong with him?" She mouthed. Remus shrugged, looking just as confused as she did, while Sirius leaned over to snap his fingers in front of James' face. James blinked a few times before a wide, goofy grin broke out on his face. He turned to Sirius, looking overjoyed, which made Sirius frown in confusion.

"That was fantastic!" James exclaimed, shaking Sirius by the shoulders.

"Yeah…" Sirius drawled, looking James over closely, "I'm pretty sure you hit your head on the way down."

James shook his head and laughed, "I'm perfectly fine!"

Elmira and Remus shared disbelieving looks.

"Definitely a concussion." Sirius nodded, very sure of his conclusion. He reached up and grabbed James' head, turning it around and moving his hair around trying to find any injuries. James laughed like that was the funniest thing in the world.

"I said I'm fine, Sirius!" He pushed the other boy off him, then stood there with his hands on his hips, smiling like a fool.

To say Elmira was confused would be an understatement. Though she wouldn't call herself his friend, she'd never seen James this happy or this quiet, and by the looks of the boys, neither had they.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius asked blatantly.

That seemed to jolt James out of whatever land he'd gone to. He took a step back, his smile faltering. His eyes flitting nervously between Sirius, Remus, and Elmira, before he cleared his throat and busied himself with cleaning his glasses. He was avoiding the question and they all knew it. Sirius crossed his arms while Remus raised his eyebrows in question. Although Elmira's stomach was practically eating itself from hunger, she stayed. She was curious where this was going.

"James."

Sirius's sharp voice made James stop. His hands froze in front of him, still holding his glasses, and he looked up sheepishly. Elmira crept closer.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius asked just as blatantly as before.

"Nothing." James shrugged, back at cleaning his glasses, "I just…" His hands slowed, and a small smile tugged at his lips, "Evans got me good, didn't she?"

Sirius paused, "Yeah… She did."

The boys looked even more confused than before, but Elmira had a hint of what was going on. She'd read enough books to recognize the dazed, far-off look in James' eyes. It was like he'd been blinded and couldn't get the sun spot out of his vision.

"Well!" She clapped her hands, deciding it was her time to go. She didn't really want to hear what James was going to say. Plus, he probably didn't want to admit it with her there anyway. "It's been fun, boys, but I'm starving."

She spun on her heels and began walking down the hall, only to stop after a few steps.

"Oh," She turned over her shoulder to point at them, "and if you come into our dorm again, Lily won't be the only one to hex you. I won't go easy. I promise you that."

She twirled her wand in her hand. Green sparks shot out, bouncing on the cobble stone and illuminating the hall in a sinister sort of light. The boys' eyes widened in alarm. She grinned, twirled her wand once more then pocketed it and continued on her way, a new bounce in her step.

There wasn't anything quite as sweet as putting those boys in their place. Even as first years, they were the house pranksters, almost rivaling Gideon and Fabian Prewett, the Gryffindor seventh years. The red-headed twins had a reputation throughout the whole school not only as fantastic beaters on the Quidditch team, but as stirrers of trouble. Elmira hadn't been there, but she'd heard of their most famous prank a few years ago where they magically charmed all the furniture in the Great Hall to the ceiling. When dinner came around, the food rained down and everyone had to eat by standing with their mouths open, trying to catch something as it fell. Headmaster Dumbledore had been quite amused, apparently.

Even though they weren't as skilled as the Prewett twins, Elmira took some pride in being able to strike fear into the younger pranksters.

It wasn't long before she arrived in the Great Hall. She was happy to see the tables in their correct places and food on the tables instead of the floor. Since it was lunch time, the room was packed. A pleasant chatter reverberated off the stone walls and the enchanted ceiling showed the cloudy, but still sunny day outside.

Smiling, Elmira hurried toward her friends where they sat in the middle of the Gryffindor table. They all looked like they'd fixed themselves up. Lily's hair now sat in an even plait down her back. Mary's had been brushed and no longer resembled a bush, and Marlene's uniform was as orderly as always.

"You fixed yourselves up quick." Elmira commented as she plopped down in the seat next to Marlene. She quickly filled her plate full of lamb chops, roast potatoes, carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and treacle tart.

"I looked like a goblin." Mary said, stuffing a scoop of pumpkin ice cream into her mouth.

Lily giggled and pointed her spoon at Mary, "If you looked like a goblin, then I looked like a troll."

"We _all_ looked like trolls." Marlene said, grinning over her plate before turning her eyes on Elmira. She smirked and pulled on the strand of hair Elmira hadn't put in her ponytail, "You still do."

Elmira grinned, "But I'm a pretty troll, right?"

Mary nodded emphatically, "The prettiest in all the land."

Lily snorted into her cup of pumpkin juice just as she was taking a sip. It bubbled over the sides and onto the table. Mary and Elmira burst into laughter. Marlene simply grinned wider and pushed herself up of the bench.

"What do you want?" She asked, resting her hands on Elmira's shoulders as she stood behind her.

"What?" Elmira said through her giggles, passing Lily a napkin. She could feel Marlene roll her eyes.

"With your hair." She said, "What do you want? Lily wanted a braid and Mary just wanted hers not to look like she'd escaped from Azkaban."

Elmira hummed, taking in the other girls' appearances. Now that she looked closer, she could definitely tell it was Marlene's work. Lily and Mary looked almost too perfect.

"Do whatever you want." Elmira said, sitting back on the bench.

Marlene made a thinking noise in the back of her throat, then got to work. Elmira could feel the familiar tingle of magic on her skull. She assumed Marlene was using similar spells to the ones her own mother used on her for the old, stuffy parties her family went to. It was nice to get her hair done and not dread what was coming after.

"So." Elmira said after a moment. She grinned and turned to Lily who looked nervously back, "It seems you've got an admirer."

Lily frowned, "What?"

"Who?" Mary perked up excitedly. Marlene's spellwork stilled as she listened in.

Elmira bit her lip as she grinned, "Turns out you left an impression on Potter."

Lily groaned and slumped in her seat.

"Not _him._ " She let her head roll to the side, " _Anyone_ but him."

"What's wrong with James?" Mary asked, her eyes widening innocently, "He's kind of cute. And funny, too."

"You can have him, then." Lily dropped her head into her hands.

"James and Sirius aren't the nicest blokes around…" Elmira said, taking it upon herself to explain to Mary since Lily obviously wasn't going to, "They pick on Severus all the time for no reason at all, and they're just…" She waved her hands in the air, trying to find the right word, "… obnoxious."

"They're bullies and arseholes." Marlene put it straight forward. Lily nodded and waved her hand at Marlene as if saying 'there you have it'.

"Oh…" Mary twisted her lips in thought, "Isn't Remus their friend though?"

Elmira sighed, "Yeah…"

"Well Remus is great and you're his friend, so James and Sirius can't be all bad." Mary nodded, returning to her ice cream.

Elmira didn't have anything to say to that. Mary was right after all, which was annoying. Mary was usually right.

"They're still bullies." Marlene said, unrelenting, as she returned to doing Elmira's hair, "You can be good and still do the wrong things."

"James and Sirius just _keep_ doing the wrong things." Lily sighed, "Over and over and _over_ again."

"Maybe Remus will straighten them out." Elmira offered, trying to remain positive.

Marlene snorted, "That or they'll corrupt him."

"No." Elmira shook her head immediately, ignoring Marlene's protests for her to stop moving, "Remus will be fine. I know it."

"I agree with Mira." Mary piped up, shaking her spoon in Elmira's direction. The darker skinned girl smiled back graciously.

"We can only hope." Marlene said before holding Elmira's head still, "Now will you please quit moving!"

"Sorry, Lene." Elmira leaned back to grin at the blonde, who huffed in annoyance and shoved the smaller girl's head forward.

"Stay." She pat Elmira's head, "Good dog."

Elmira grinned widely, then threw her head back and howled. Mary quickly joined in. Lily simply laughed from her place on the other side of the table, while Marlene muttered something about needing new friends.


	6. Furry Little Problem

Sirius Black had been trying to get her attention for the last ten minutes. The key word to that was trying. He'd been hissing her name under his breath and waving his arms any time she turned even slightly toward his direction.

Neither were working well for him though, because Elmira absolutely refused to look up. She was busy at the moment, and even if she wasn't busy, the fact that it was Sirius Black who wanted something from her meant she absolutely was not going to give it to him.

Just as she turned her back to the obnoxious boy, a tightly wadded piece of parchment whacked her right in the back of the head. She growled under her breath and shot a glare in Black's direction.

He was on the other side of the room, thankfully, and stood leaning on the table in front of him, his chin casually resting on his palm as he grinned triumphantly at her. He wagged his finger in a 'come hither' manner. The thought of going over there to talk to him just because he asked her to repulsed her. Her glare heated, and she snapped her gaze away from him.

"Just go over there."

Elmira turned to her potions partner for the day. Rabastan Lestrange. The Slytherin boy was busy crushing snake fangs with the pestle and mortar beside her. His dark hair was slicked back, a black apron tied around his thin waist.

"I don't _want_ to go over there." She replied curtly, returning to slicing the pungous onions in front of her. She knew she'd chopped enough for the boil curing potion already, but she kept at it. It was an excuse not to look at Black _or_ Lestrange.

Rabastan shot her an annoyed look, his dark, hooded eyes narrowed.

"Well I don't want Black to keep throwing things and ruin our potion." He growled, "Go tell your idiot friend to knock it off."

"He's _not_ my friend." Elmira hissed.

Rabastan looked surprised. His hands stilled in grounding the fangs.

"What do you mean he's not your friend?"

She rolled her eyes, "I mean exactly what the words 'not friends' means."

He hummed, not at all bothered by her sass, before returning to his crushing.

"Why do you care anyway?" She shook her head, chopping the onions more fiercely than before, "If Black and I aren't friends, then you and I _definitely_ aren't."

"I'm aware." He chuckled to himself, "It's just surprising. The two Gryffindor black sheep don't get along." He paused to smirk at her, letting his taunt sit in the air, "I wonder why that is."

Elmira's cheeks heated in embarrassment. She grit her teeth.

"It doesn't concern you." She mumbled.

"No," Rabastan leaned over to whisper to her, "but it does concern your brother."

Anger shot through her. She shook her head fiercely, "My brother can shove off."

"I'm sure he'd like to know you said that."

"Oh, yes." She spun away from him, glaring down at the mangled onions in front of her, "I'm sure he would."

Just then, another wadded up piece of parchment hit her in the head. It bounced off and landed in the pile of onions. She let out a barely controlled breath.

"For 'not friends', Black seems to want your attention pretty badly."

The smugness in Rabastan's voice made Elmira growl lowly to herself. She snatched the parchment off the table and, crushing it tightly in her hand, stomped off toward Black. Though she was seething and glaring at him with all the strength of her father, he seemed unmoved. He casually leaned back against his work table, his hands on the counter beside him, and that cocky, lopsided grin on his face.

"Why hello, Avery." He greeted pleasantly, "What brings you to this side of the dungeon?"

Elmira's glare heated. She threw the parchment at his chest. He made no attempt to catch it and instead let it fall to the ground.

"Stop throwing things at me." She hissed.

"How about you stop ignoring me?"

Elmira stared at him for a moment before groaning and staring at the ceiling in a 'help me God' sort of way.

"Just leave me alone, Black." She ground out, "I need to finish this potion. I'm sure whatever _pressing matter_ you want to talk to me about can wait until after class."

Black was silent. Which was odd.

Elmira frowned and lowered her head to look at him. His grey eyes were curious as he took her in. She didn't feel uncomfortable under his gaze, it was just strange. He looked at her a moment more, before his eyes moved to something behind her and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Lestrange is watching you." He said.

Elmira nodded like that was the most obvious thing in the world, "Yeah. We're supposed to be working on a potion together. And right now, I'm not because I'm over here wasting my time with you."

Sirius frowned, "Is he bothering you?"

"Not more than you are right now!" She threw down her hands in frustration, "Can you just leave me alone until the end of class? I promise I'll talk to you about whatever it is you want to talk about. Just not right now. Okay?"

Sirius pursed his lips, still staring in Lestrange's direction, before he turned and flashed Elmira a smile.

"Just wanted to tell you to look in the book." He said, "I wrote something."

Elmira held her breath for a second. He bothered her for _that?_ He threw papers at her, potentially ruining her potion, and waved his hands around like a madman, just because he wanted her to look in the book?

"You're so annoying." She spun on her heels and stormed off.

"It's good!" Sirius called after her, "Look at it!"

Most of the students near them turned to look at what Sirius was yelling at. Which was her. Elmira's cheeks and ears heated in embarrassment and irritation. She growled under her breath. Sirius was an idiot. They were supposed to be _spies,_ and he was failing miserably at being discreet.

"So," Rabastan drawled when she returned to their table, "what is it you're supposed to look at?"

"Not. Friends." Elmira growled, waving her knife between him and her before returning to slicing the onions.

"You and me, or you and Black?"

" _Both_."

Rabastan hummed, a smile on his lips.

"I don't believe you."

Elmira shook her head in frustration. There was no point arguing. Who cares what Rabastan Lestrange thought anyway.

"Mmm, you're fraternizing with the enemy." He leaned toward her again, lowering his voice as he smirked, "What _will_ Bastian think?"

She slammed her knife down on the table, "I'm not fraternizing with anyone and there are no enemies!"

First Black then Lestrange. Why couldn't any of these people just be normal? For an hour. That's all she wanted.

"Besides…" She felt her anger fizzle and her hands stilled, "I wouldn't know what my brother thinks anymore." She bit lightly on her bottom lip, "Bash hasn't talked to me since school started."

Rabastan righted himself before speaking, a snide tone to his voice.

"Oh, _Bash_ , is it?"

" _Yes_." Elmira picked her knife up. She shook her head angrily. She didn't know why she'd told him that. It wasn't like he cared. All she'd done was make herself sound weak and feel even weaker.

Rabastan kept trying to talk to her after that, but she promptly and religiously ignored him. There was nothing he could possibly say that would make her want to listen. She could hear Mary's voice in her head telling her to be nicer, but she really didn't want to. All she wanted was to finish the blasted potion and meet Remus in the library like she'd promised.

After far too much time had passed for Elmira, pink smoke began rising from their potion. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tell Black he needs to work a little harder to sabotage us next time." Rabastan grinned and bowed his head slightly to her as he went to turn their potion in.

She barely even acknowledged that he'd spoken. She hurriedly waved a cleaning spell over their equipment and stuffed her things into her knapsack, pulling it over her shoulder quickly and hurrying to the door. Her eyes scanned over the room and she groaned to herself, seeing Remus still working on his potion. She bounced on her toes impatiently as she waited, groaning to herself every few seconds.

"I can hear you." Remus grumbled at her from his table only a few yards away from.

She groaned again, louder this time.

"Yeah. Yeah." He rolled his eyes but didn't try to hide his smirk, "Give me a second or two, Mira."

Remus turned to his cauldron which seemed to be shaking aggressively back and forth. It looked like there was a goblin trapped inside, trying to get out. A chattering sound rang out as the whole thing quivered. Remus' partner, Peter Pettigrew, stood beside it, holding the stirring spoon in front of him like a shield.

"You just stirred too roughly, Pete." Remus said kindly, lowering the pudgy boy's spoon back into the cauldron, "Do it more gently."

"If it explodes, I'm blaming you." There was playfulness in Peter's voice, but he still sounded nervous, eyeing the cauldron like it might come alive and eat him whole.

Slowly and with timid stirring, the cauldron stopped shaking. Peter looked up at Remus, seeming quite proud of himself. Remus smiled encouragingly before dumping the last ingredients in and waving his wand over the cauldron. Pink smoke began wafting out.

"See!" He said, filling a vial with their now complete potion and labeling their names on the side of the glass, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No. It wasn't." Peter laughed, taking the vial Remus passed him, "I thought it would explode, for sure!"

Remus smiled, "Well, it didn't. We make a pretty good team."

Peter positively beamed.

"We do, don't we?" He smiled happily, then looked down at his hand, remembering he was holding something, "Oh! I'll go turn this in!"

"Alright, Pete. I'm going to clean up and head to the library with Mira. I'll see you later, okay?"

The smaller boy nodded emphatically before scurrying off toward Professor Slughorn's desk to turn in their potion. Remus shook his head in amusement before waving his wand over the table. After muttering a few cleaning spells, everything was gleaming and in its proper place. Remus nodded to himself, approving of his handiwork, before tugging his bag over his shoulder and approaching Elmira.

He raised an eyebrow in question at the look she was giving him.

She smiled softly, "That was really nice of you, Rem."

It truly was. Though she didn't know Peter, she'd seen the way he followed his friends around. It was like he was desperately searching for somewhere to belong, for someone to accept him. Elmira knew enough about that feeling to recognize it in someone else.

Remus grinned, coming to stand in front of her, "What was nice of me? I didn't do anything."

He was playing dumb.

A laugh bubbled out of Elmira.

"Alright." She looped her arm through his and tugged him along with her into the hallway, "You didn't do anything. You're just nice is all."

"Well thank you." He chuckled happily before nudging her with his elbow, "So, how was working with Lestrange? He didn't put a Slytherin curse on you did he? Sirius seemed to think that's something he would do."

Elmira shrugged, her happiness draining a little, "He was fine."

"Mmm…" Remus turned to fix the look she came to think of as just his. It was like he could read her soul. His kind, amber eyes bore into her, seeming wise beyond his years and taking in every detail. Elmira's gaze drifted to the floor. She knew it was impossible to hide things from him but she tried anyway.

"You know I don't believe you." He said, "What did he do?"

Elmira shrugged again, weaker this time, "Nothing really. He's not as bad as Black probably made him out to be."

"But…"

"But," she sighed, giving in, "He kept pressing me about Black, wanting to know why we weren't friends and all that."

Remus was silent for a moment.

"And…?"

Elmira's lips turned up minutely before twisting back down. Of course Remus could tell there was something more she wasn't saying. He could always tell.

She took a breath before speaking.

"He mentioned my brother." She bit her lip and looked off down the hallway. Remus's hand on her arm tightened in a comforting sort of way.

"What about your brother?"

"Nothing really." She sighed and shook her head in irritation. It was mostly at herself. "I don't know why he upset me so much. All he did was mention Bash, saying he would want to know I was 'fraternizing' with Black. His words, not mine."

"Mmm." Remus hummed. They were silent for a few moments and Elmira was starting to feel uncomfortable before he spoke again.

"You know it's okay to miss him, right?" Remus asked softly, "He's your brother."

Elmira swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I know." She whispered, looking down. She kicked at the non-existent stones on the ground. "I just wish he'd talk to me."

Remus pulled her toward him so she was close by his side. Warmth flooded through her.

"He will." He smiled kindly, "You'll see. He'll talk to you eventually, Mira. I guarantee it. And until then, you have me."

She smiled genuinely then. His words made her feel infinitely better. Joy bubbled up inside her and she laughed heartily, leaning her head against Remus' shoulder.

"What would I do without you, Rem?"

The tall boy shrugged, "I don't know. Probably cry yourself to sleep every night."

"Oh yes." She turned her face toward him and they shared a toothy smile.

"Come on," he said, jerking his head to the side, "let's go get our seats before someone steals them."

Elmira didn't resist and let him pull her through the wide, oak double doors leading into the Hogwarts library. They passed tables of hard-at-work students in the main sitting area, and turned down one of the long aisles of shelves. Books floated around them, casting dancing shadows on the floor. Suddenly, Remus pulled Elmira sharply to the left. They bounded down a small set of stairs and under a marble archway. Elmira was slightly caught off guard by how quickly Remus was moving and had to jump clumsily over a pile of books that sat haphazardly in the middle of the hall.

"I know you love it here, Rem," she chuckled when he shot her an apologetic look over his shoulder, "but don't get too excited. I'm clumsy enough by myself. I don't need you knocking me over."

He chuckled in agreement and slowed his pace. Only a little. Elmira shook her head good naturedly but didn't try to stop him. Little else made him as happy as the library did and she wasn't going to spoil it.

Soon, they ducked into the little part of the library they liked to call their own. It was a small room, an annex off to the side and hidden deep within the twists and turns of the library.

It was a special sort of place. Soft glowing lamps and a singular fireplace bathed the room in warm light. Shelves packed tightly with books lined the walls. Elmira could never figure out how exactly they were organized. It seemed the titles and genres changed every time she visited. Below the walls, a rich, ruby colored rug lay stretched out on the ground. Four armchairs of different colors and sizes but equal comfort sat on the rug in a little circle, facing toward each other. With a contented sigh, Remus dropped into the plump, worn leather one he'd claimed the first day they'd discovered this place.

"Peppermint today." Elmira commented, nodding her head toward the fireplace on the far side of the room.

Remus lifted his nose in the air and took a few sniffs.

"Aconite flowers too." He said, recognizing the citrus and honey smell.

Elmira nodded, giving the fireplace a look as she retrieved her books from her bag. The perpetually burning flames were a deep orange color, melting into a soft green at the bottom. Last week it had been a periwinkle blue and smelled of gillyweed. She and Remus didn't know what made the color or the scent change, but it was always a nice surprise.

"Do you think Professor Binns is trying to kill us?" Remus asked. Elmira turned away from the fire to see him looking distastefully at the long roll of parchment he'd pulled from his bag.

She snorted, "Maybe he's trying to make some ghost friends."

"If he wants that he should just be chummy with Nearly Headless Nick or the Bloody Baron. We don't need to be bored to death."

Elmira hummed as she pretended to think that over, "Something tells me those three won't be having tea parties anytime soon."

"Well they should." Remus grumbled to himself and settled back in the chair, "Maybe then Binns will give us less homework, or something interesting to read for once."

"Oh hush." Elmira rolled her eyes and settled down on a wide throw pillow in front of the fire, "It's not that bad. Don't be so grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy. I'm never grumpy."

"Oh no, never. You're just a bucket of rainbows and sunshine."

"You said it, not me." Remus grinned cheekily at her over his parchment. She stuck her tongue out at him. His only response was to raise the parchment to cover his face and settle back into the chair.

Elmira took that as a sign to get started on their work. Although she considered herself a good student, she didn't have anything near Remus' work ethic. The boy was as dedicated as they came. Elmira wished she could be more like him, but she just got bored too easily. Either the work was too easy since her mother had taught it to her already, or it just didn't peak her interest. There wasn't much she could do to motivate herself when she really couldn't care less about the material. Some classes were just like that.

Potions was the worst though. She'd been staring at the textbook for a while now and had read over "How Not to Burn Through Your Cauldron" about four times without actually retaining any of the information. She tapped her quill idly against her hand. Remus was still behind his parchment, seeming to actually be working. He hadn't shown his face for since he'd sat down.

"Rem." She whispered, watching his reaction closely.

He didn't move.

"Rem." She tried again.

Still nothing.

She grinned. Even though Remus couldn't read the book Black had given her a few days ago, she didn't want him asking questions about it. She was a terrible liar.

As quietly as she could, she pulled out the leather book. Although she'd been annoyed with Black, she really was curious about what had him so excited during Potions.

Cracking the book open to the first page, she saw Black's lazy, winding print.

 _Avery._

 _I've found the first clue for Operation Remus. I'm disappointed I'm the only one contributing to the effort. You're clearly slacking. I expected better from you._

Elmira rolled her eyes and continued reading.

 _Our mysterious friend got a letter from his mum today. I wasn't supposed to read it, obviously, but he left it out on his nightstand while he was showering and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity for real spy work. It was boring stuff mostly. Did you know Remus has a cat? I can't imagine why. They're horrible little beasts. Remus' is named Figaro, though, which is a cool name I guess. For a cat._

 _But! The important thing. At the end, Remus' mum asked how he was doing with his (and I quote) 'furry little problem'. Have you heard him say that before? Do you think it could have something to do with his secret?_

 _Write me back as soon as you read this._

 _This is time sensitive._

 _Hurry up._

 _I can't imagine anything else in your life being more important or more interesting than this._

The last three lines seemed like Black had written them after the rest. She always knew he was impatient but this was proof that he really needed to work on it.

After checking that Remus was still occupied, Elmira took out her quill and inkwell. She wrote on the page below Black's annoyingly elegant scrawl.

 _First of all, I'd like to say that I've easily put in equal effort to you. If anything, my having to put up with you makes up for the information I have yet to find._

 _Yes, I did know Remus has a cat, and I rather like cats, just so you know. They're sweet if you have the right temperament for them._

 _No, I've never heard Remus say that. It's really an odd thing to say… maybe it's a phrase his family uses? My family says a few things others don't. I really have no idea what it could mean, though._

Elmira read over her messy writing. She put away her quill and was just closing the book when dark letters began to appear underneath her words. Curious and a little entranced, she leaned down on her elbows, watching the new words appear.

 _Avery._

 _Stop making excuses. You're lagging behind, end of story. And you never have to 'put up with me', as you say, because I've been reliably informed that I'm a delight to be around._

 _Are you suggesting that I don't have the right temperament for cats? If so, I'm offended._

 _I don't know why a family would use the phrase 'furry little problem', but if they do, it's already a thousand times better than the phrases our families use, no matter what it means. But you didn't answer my question. Do you think it could be related to his secret?_

Elmira scoffed and quickly wrote down her response.

 _Who told you you're a delight? Sorry to tell you, but your mother doesn't count as reliable in this situation._

 _Good. Be offended._

 _You don't know anything about my family. Don't pretend you do. And it could be related to his secret. I don't know. I don't see why Remus' mum would say that unless it was an inside joke or code for something._

Elmira set her quill down, ready for Black's presumably irritating response.

Nothing came.

She sat there, watching the book in boredom, but when the page remained blank, she became anxious. Had she actually offended him? She didn't like the boy and he undoubtedly got on her nerves, but she didn't want to upset him.

After ten minutes had passed, Elmira quickly wrote beneath her words.

 _I'm sorry if I did offend you. I didn't mean to._

She watched the page, her eyes flitting back and forth, afraid she'd blink and miss his response. Nothing happened for another ten minutes. She hadn't taken her eyes off the book the whole time and her shoulders were sore from leaning down on the floor for so long, but slowly, inky words appeared on the page.

 _Avery._

 _Don't pretend to know anything about my family either._

 _We should figure out what 'furry little problem' means. We can look in the library for something and try to see if the phrase comes up anywhere. Also, listen to what Remus says, if he mentions it. I'll do the same. Let me know if you find anything. Try not to slack so much._

Elmira sighed heavily. So, she had offended him. It couldn't have been because of the cat thing, that was barely even an insult and definitely not worth Black's reaction. It had to do with his family.

She understood that. Though she disliked him and hated the way he treated people like Severus, she knew she and him weren't all that different. They were Gryffindor children of a Sacred Twenty-Eight family. Not many had that title, and even less _wanted_ it.

 _You're right._ She wrote, _I'm sorry I assumed anything. I'll do my best to find something to add to Operation Remus. That'll make it up to you._

Elmira paused, hoping he'd respond. After a second, he did.

 _Avery._

 _I'm sorry too._

 _And it's a start. You'll need to do some groveling to actually make it up to me. Maybe some flowers, chocolates, serenading…_

Elmira rolled her eyes before writing.

 _Don't get cocky, Black._

With that, she closed the book.


End file.
